Beekeeping comprises one of the most important fields of primary production of our country. According to data from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, about 23,000 beekeepers are employed in the beekeeping sector, holding about 1,568,000 hives. In addition, recent studies show that Greece comes second in the European Union after Spain, regarding colonies, producing by average 14,000 tons of honey per year.

 

Despite its importance and benefits, beekeeping is one of the most demanding primary production sectors. The degree of difficulty lies in the fact that in most cases beekeepers are engaged in nomadic beekeeping and are forced to move their hives several kilometers away to carry out a typical short-term inspection. The research proposal “SMARTBEEing” introduces the design, development and pilot application of an innovative system of early-warning and avoiding a set of stressful factors – situations that are directly related to the bee’s “social” life and to the quality of the final products. In this context, ICT-supported methodologies will be developed for (a) support of beekeeping management and estimation of possible stressful situations, (b) real-time hive tracking in field conditions from distance and (c) support decision-making through appropriate data analysis mechanisms.

 

Contrary to the existing approaches that primarily aim at recording parameters (eg weight), the proposed solution also allows for the accurate assessment of future adverse situations (eg swarming, loss of queen) and the implementation of appropriate corrective actions by beekeepers. The aim of the “SMARTBEEing” project is to create an integrated hive-based system in a hive level, in a beekeeper level and globally. A set of parameters regarding the honeybee colony itself and its location will be taken into account, while the product will be characterized by low acquisition / maintenance costs and a friendly interface with the not-familiar with the technology end-user, in order to be further commercially exploited. The “SMARTBEEing” approach involves the instrumentation of low-cost electronic equipment in hives, where in combination with appropriate outcome models and the supporting software developed within the project, will allow: (a) timely notification of upcoming swarming, abandoning of colony and the presence or not of the queen in the hive, (b) managing the internal conditions of the hive in order to prevent diseases, (c) estimating the future productivity of bees and (d) increasing security against theft and natural enemies of bees. The system estimates will provide the beekeeper with the time to respond with the proposed managements.

 

After the development and calibration of the system by the research entities, the confirmation of the “SMARTBEEing” evaluation will be carried out by a group of beekeepers under the supervision of the Laboratory of Apiculture-Sericulture (AUTH) and the School of Physics (AUTH). The necessary preparation for mass production of the device will be made by the ENIA3 company. Both the installation of the system and its pilot application will allow the design of a business plan for the successful expansion and commercial exploitation of the proposed system, linking research and innovation to entrepreneurship.