A Robotic Mobile Home For Bees

An Israeli startup has launched a smaller, lighter version of its autonomous beehive, so farmers can move it around to pollinate their crops.

The new Beewise hive, called the BeeHome 4, fits on an ordinary forklift. It uses AI-powered precision robotics, cameras and sensors to treat pests, feed bees, and prevent swarming, and needs minimal human intervention.

The Beehome can control temperature and humidity, monitor the health of every bee in the colony, and apply a non-chemical, heating treatment when it detects pests.

It also autonomously harvests the honey from frames and into a container, and alerts beekeepers to empty it once it reaches 100 gallons. 

Beekeepers can remote control their hives and receive real-time alerts of any issues through the startup’s app. 

For over 150 years, beekeepers have been maintaining their hives manually within a wooden box with frames. Beewise is the first company to create an autonomous beehive, and says it can reduce bee mortality up to 80 percent.

Bees are facing unprecedented threats like extreme weather caused by climate change, and an increase in threats like Varroa mites, which feed on their pupae and larvae and cause adult bees to develop deformed bodies and wings.

Honeybees are crucial pollinators, and are responsible for over 30 percent of our crops.

“We’ve listened to beekeepers and growers, and BeeHome 4, is the culmination of their feedback,” said Saar Safra, CEO and Co-founder of Beewise.

“BeeHome 4 is the perfect ‘vaccine’ for colony collapse disorder and is optimized to save bees and address the needs of growers and beekeepers, at scale.”

Beewise was founded in 2018, and is based in California, with an office in Israel.