Video didn't show many of the aspects a beekeeper has to deal with.
"Beehomes use A.I. to identify when a colony could be preparing to swarm, and automatically prevents this event by adjusting conditions. Beekeepers can rest assured that the Beehome has their colonies stay put while they focus on other responsibilities."
doesn't sell it.
Bees are livestock, not programs. They sometimes decide that it's time to move on no matter what you do.
It doesn't show how inspections are done nor how many frames or frametypes are used. It doesn't show how frame rotation is done(necessary every few years) or what happens when you have a dead out.
How would you introduce a new queen or perform splits?
I'm also not sold on their "prevention"
> How does Beehome deal with pests?
>
> The ones that are visible with the naked eye, like Varroa, are detected by the robot in real-time, and treatment is applied accordingly. Others are identified by the damage they leave, and then treatment is applied accordingly.
> Does Beehome use/apply pesticides?
> No; the robot treats for pests using a heating mechanism. The robot heats frames to a point where it harms the pests (Varroa) but does not harm the bees’ brood.
I glanced over a paper on hyperthermic and I'd have concerns regarding nurse bee viability after being subjected to that temps, even if brood are not seeing mortality.
Meanwhile, we have extremely effective treatments for varroa that show little impact on brood/bees - See Randy Oliver.
I could go on and on but
tldr; This product handwaves away almost all of the work a beekeeper does without actually showing how it performs those tasks. I'd have extremely low confidence in it until a production length video of each aspect of a beekeepers job is produced and walked through with the Beewise.
> I'd have extremely low confidence in it until a production length video of each aspect of a beekeepers job is produced and walked through with the Beewise.
I know a bit about bee-keeping (did it with my father for ~15 years). I'd agree with you, but perhaps they don't feel ready to openly share too much, for fear of competition. Not a great idea, but this might be the reason why you don't see much in their material.
From what I'm reading, most of their IP is in the tech side. AI and other stuff.
Showing me how to clean, manage and use their product shouldn't be the secret sauce because they're otherwise relying on a quick market saturation before someone catches up.
first i've heard about hyperthermic, although i have anecdotally heard about benefits of increased humidity. any good links for readup on hyperthermic?
The reason why it doesn't see more uses is the difficulty to scale it(a beekeeper can't keep a device tied up for 2 hours when they've got 5,10,50,400 hives to manage.
Video didn't show many of the aspects a beekeeper has to deal with.
"Beehomes use A.I. to identify when a colony could be preparing to swarm, and automatically prevents this event by adjusting conditions. Beekeepers can rest assured that the Beehome has their colonies stay put while they focus on other responsibilities."
doesn't sell it.
Bees are livestock, not programs. They sometimes decide that it's time to move on no matter what you do.
It doesn't show how inspections are done nor how many frames or frametypes are used. It doesn't show how frame rotation is done(necessary every few years) or what happens when you have a dead out.
How would you introduce a new queen or perform splits?
I'm also not sold on their "prevention"
> How does Beehome deal with pests? > > The ones that are visible with the naked eye, like Varroa, are detected by the robot in real-time, and treatment is applied accordingly. Others are identified by the damage they leave, and then treatment is applied accordingly. > Does Beehome use/apply pesticides?
> No; the robot treats for pests using a heating mechanism. The robot heats frames to a point where it harms the pests (Varroa) but does not harm the bees’ brood.
I glanced over a paper on hyperthermic and I'd have concerns regarding nurse bee viability after being subjected to that temps, even if brood are not seeing mortality.
Meanwhile, we have extremely effective treatments for varroa that show little impact on brood/bees - See Randy Oliver.
I could go on and on but
tldr; This product handwaves away almost all of the work a beekeeper does without actually showing how it performs those tasks. I'd have extremely low confidence in it until a production length video of each aspect of a beekeepers job is produced and walked through with the Beewise.