It is no longer a secret to anyone that the protection of bees is one of the most important tasks of humanity for the benefit of biodiversity to maintain the balance of the Earth. The task is by no means easy for beekeepers, but the good news is that new technologies are coming to the rescue. Today, sustainable beekeeping is in symbiosis not only with nature, but also with innovation. A number of high-tech companies from all over the world support bees with their innovative solutions.
The Bulgarian “Sensato Network” is among these advanced companies and has an extremely precise, innovative system for monitoring bees, which it is about to patent. The company recognizes the leading telecom Vivacom as a partner with a high-tech solution for its smart hives. With a vision for the future and a solution for the present, Sensato is a “game changer” for all beekeepers with the world’s first thermal imaging sensor system for bee monitoring based on multiple sensors inside the hive.
“We want to inspire more people to become beekeepers – amateurs and professionals, and help develop sustainable beekeeping that is in symbiosis with nature,” says Petar Petrov, CEO of Sensato Network.
To fulfill this goal, they are working on the creation of the Hive Reader – a beekeeping diary with the unique function of a built-in voice assistant. Thus, beekeepers will be able to fill in the beekeeping diary automatically in different languages while their hands are busy inspecting the hives.
The software product is upgraded with hardware – a sensor system that uses Vivacom SIM cards. The system is installed in the hive and consists of multiple temperature sensors. The telecommunications innovator in Bulgaria provides a data card module that measures temperature and humidity in hives that beekeepers monitor remotely. The sensor system collects information from the hives and transmits it in near real time to the company’s server. “Sensato” share that apiaries are often located in remote locations in nature with limited coverage, and this is exactly where they see the need for a partnership with Vivacom – the telecom with the largest 5G network in Bulgaria.
By upgrading the Hive Reader with the real-time information, beekeepers can increase their efficiency and save up to 60% of their hive inspection time and distribute their apiaries more evenly in nature – and this is extremely important for pollination.
In addition, the software product will help beekeepers to manage the overall activity of the hives and give access to complete statistical information about the apiaries, and the algorithms will offer a specific plan of action according to the beekeeper’s goals. The end result for the bees is that they will have the opportunity to live undisturbed, and for the beekeepers – to raise more bee colonies and develop in this direction. And for hobbyists and novice beekeepers, the Hive-Reader will provide educational information and reminders of key points in beekeeping and the necessary actions at any given time.
Sensato Network was founded in 2021 as a startup in the field of IoT and software solutions for beekeeping. It started with its own capital, but subsequently won funding from the Clim Accelerator, supported by the European Union.
New technologies play a key role in the future of beekeeping, and more and more beekeepers rely on innovation not only to improve the sustainability and productivity of bees, but also to adapt adequately and in time to modern challenges.
It is no coincidence that the European Union recognizes the need to support this industry through funding for digitization and the introduction of new technologies through various programs and measures. “It is expected that next year there will be more opportunities for beekeepers in Bulgaria to finance similar equipment through European programs,” Sensato predicts.
