Comb Sweet Comb: The search for the best way to monitor our bees

In the Bee Lab we want to study the effects of communication on the behavior of social insects, in particular, honeybees. To be able to describe these effects properly, we need to be able to accurately collect data that describe the vitals of the hive (temperature, weight, etc.). To do this, we picked up a couple Arnia Hive monitors last semester.In the Fall, Alasdair wrote about our Arnia hive monitors (see here: Beehive Monitoring with Arnia) and the struggles we’ve been having with them. After having sent back the second monitor due to a defective scale, it was fantastic to hear at the start of the new semester that we had our replacement hive monitor delivered to us. I decided to volunteer to test it.

On came a flurry of trials. We tested our brand new second scale against the first primarily for weight and temperature, as those were the main metrics it took in the hives, and used the weather station’s (a part of the Arnia system) readings as an indicator of the conditions in the room itself. There were some hiccups; the scales seemed to be transmitting data at different times, the tare weight was not 0, there seemed to be some dropped data, but through many emails with Arnia support it seemed like we were going to be able to figure out all of these issues remotely. Although the Spring was fast approaching, it seemed like most of the technical issues would be fixed in time for testing in the field.

Just before Spring Break we packed up the scales and the rest of our equipment and headed out to the Bernard Field Station to set up for Spring testing. We had high hopes for these hive monitors, and through the testing it seemed like we should be able to get the data we wanted this time. Oh how wrong we were.

Figure 1. Our hives out in the field.

Figure 2. Some nonsense data

Figure 3. Some sensible data

So according to our data, as you can see on the top, the humidity outside has been very consistently around 2000%, the hives have been going at a balmy 5200 °C (9400 °F), and the weight of the hive is around 175kg (385.809 pounds). This, as you might guess, doesn’t seem quite right. On the bottom you can see some data that at least appears reasonable. So what’s going on?

According to Arnia support there is a firmware issue that they are working to fix, and that an update would be available soon. While we wait for some sign of an update and fixes for other issues we’ve found, we’ve begun to look into other possible monitoring solutions.

There’s a lot of variety in hive monitors, some cheap and simple, some expensive and decked out with many interesting capabilities. These monitors are made for anyone, from hobbyists to researchers, and the data can help the beekeeper to understand the health of their hive. Even just weight, as some monitoring solutions offer, can yield a ton of useful information to a vigilant keeper.* After some research, I believe I’ve come up with the most viable hive monitors for our work. In the order I will discuss them they are: Arnia, BeeWatch, the Wi-Fi Hive Scale, and Solutionbee.

* Side note to those interested, the Sentinel Apiary Program is an amazing initiative for beekeepers to send their data off to the USDA so that they can track large scale trends and changes across the country.

Arnia (website)

Figure 4: Arnia Hive Scale

I feel like I should give Arnia a fair shake, both for sake of comparison and to detail what they are trying to do. Based in the UK, Arnia builds a fully equipped hive monitor complete with a large range of sensors. They can find the weight, temperature, humidity, sound, and brood temperature of the hive, while the weather station connected to it can take data on rain, humidity, and temperature. It can feed data either via Wi-Fi or, with a plan, the cellular network. It’s powered by simple and cheap D-cell batteries and can live quite a while on a single set. It’s pretty obvious why seemed so attractive on the outset, and it’s a massive shame that it’s not gone as well as we expected it to so far.

BeeWatch (website)

Figure 5: BeeWatch Hive Monitor

Next on the list is the BeeWatch. Based in Germany, the BeeWatch is another well-equipped hive monitor supporting its own range of sensors. Much like the Arnia, the BeeWatch can take data on the humidity, temperature, brood temperature and weight of the hive, while also taking in ambient temperature and humidity in its weather station. However, the BeeWatch has some data different from the Arnia such as solar radiation, UV index, wind speed, and a bee counter (a feature that, if it works, the Bee Lab would be particularly interested in, see our previous attempts here: Smart Hive: The Old and The New). The BeeWatch can transmit data through Wi-Fi, the cellular network, and Bluetooth, and like the Arnia, the BeeWatch takes simple D-cell batteries, which last 1 year according to the manufacturer. If we do end up replacing the Arnia, the BeeWatch seems like a very viable substitute.

Wi-Fi Hive Scale (website)

Figure 6: Wi-Fi Hive Scale

I decided to insert this product here on a bit of a lark. Its design is a bit odd, but unique. Based in the US the Wi-Fi hive scale seeks to create a cheap solution to monitoring a hive’s weight. How do they keep the costs down? Well, instead of having four load cells that the entire hive rests on, they have two on one side, and the other side, they say, is meant to be held up with a 2”x4”. This monitor only can measure weight and temperature, requires only a few AA batteries, and comes in at one third to one half the cost of some of the other scales. Although I can’t see us using this scale, I think it might come in handy for a hobbyist or any person who doesn’t need a plethora of data on their hives.

Solutionbee (website)

Figure 7: Solutionbee Hive Scale

Last on the block is Solutionbee. Based in the US, Solutionbee is yet another hive monitor equipped with a suite of sensors, though somewhat less than some of its competitors. Solutionbee can read the weight, temperature and humidity of the hive, while taking data on the outdoor humidity, temperature, rain and wind. Data, as of right now, can only be collected via Bluetooth, but a data collector set to be released later this year will allow for Wi-Fi and cellular network data collection. A downside for Solutionbee not seen so far is the fact that it requires a proprietary battery to be ordered from the manufacturer. For us at the Bee Lab this is not so bad, but it’s somewhat annoying for others who would rather take a trip down to the market and grab a pack of D-cells or AA’s rather than having to buy from the company. Otherwise, the Solutionbee seems like a very viable option should we replace the Arnia.

In the end we are hoping to find the best mix of sensors, accuracy and reliability. The monitor has to work rain or shine and so far the Arnia hasn’t lived up to its promise. Time will tell but hopefully we have a fully working system on the ground soon!

Image Credits:
[1]: Taken at the Bernard Field Station by Professor Donaldson-Matasci

[2] and [3]: From data downloaded 3/24/2017

[4]: From Arnia website - http://www.arnia.co.uk/hive-scales/

[5]: From BeeWatch website - http://beewatch.de/beewatch-science/?lang=en

[6]: From Wi-Fi Hive Scale website - http://www.wifihivescale.com/index.php/testimonials

[7]: From Brushy Mountain Bee Farm website - http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Hive-Scale/productinfo/714/