More than 75 percent of the world’s food crops and nearly 90 percent of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend on animal pollination.

Yet bees are facing numerous challenges from diseases such as Varroa mites, pests, and environmental stressors such as pollution, which not only threaten their wellbeing, but the health of ecosystems and global food systems.

More than ever, beekeepers need real-time information about the health of bees so they can act quickly and prevent any infections from spreading across hives.

Yet the current method of physically monitoring Australia’s 700,000 beehives results in considerable carbon emissions.

The project is creating a beehive monitoring system which will help beekeepers remotely monitor the health of hives. Credit: AdobeStock

Now researchers at Macquarie University, ANU and the University of Sydney are creating a sustainable, remote beehive monitoring system using smart sensors.

The Biosensing Technologies for Hive Health Monitoring project is being led by Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri, the Head of the NanoTech Laboratory and Deputy Director of the Smart Green Cities Research Centre at Macquarie University.

The project has received a NSW Smart Sensing Network Grand Challenges Fund grant.

A/Prof Nasiri says the project will use nanostructured gas sensors to non-intrusively detect harmful chemicals in hives and use advanced data analytics and communication systems to monitor hive health in real-time.

“Our remote beehive monitoring system will monitor temperature, humidity, hive weight, and bee activity patterns, and will incorporate machine learning algorithms to predict hive health issues and alert beekeepers proactively,” A/Prof Nasiri says.

“By regularly assessing these conditions, and contaminants which influence honey quality, beekeepers will be able to maintain optimal hive health which will lead to increased honey production and quality.”

A/Prof Nasiri will partner with researchers from ANU and the University of Sydney and industry partners LB Agtech Holdings Pty Ltd.

Co-Investigator on the project, Dr Mahdiar Taheri from ANU, says the gas sensors will detect pesticides which disrupt bee behaviour and reproduction, and vehicle and industrial emissions which harm plant health and reduce bee forage availability.

“Pollution also leads to habitat degradation, which leads to the decline of bee populations, while greenhouse gas emissions exacerbate climate change, altering ecosystems and affecting bee resources, including flowering times and plant distribution essential for bee

food sources,” Dr Taheri says.

“So monitoring hive health helps identify threats and enables proactive measures to protect bee populations and safeguard ecosystems.

(From left to right) A/Prof Noushin Nasiri from Macquarie University; Dr Mahdiar Taheri from ANU; Dr Kenya Fernande’s from University of Sydney. Credit: AdobeStock.

Dr Kenya Fernandes, Co-Investigator on the project from University of Sydney says that improved hive health and pollination services can also lead to higher crop yields and better agricultural product quality, which boosts farm revenues and strengthens economies.

"The nano-sensors can be tailored to specific bee pheromones and biomarkers, offering a targeted and precise approach to hive health monitoring and the ability to capture relevant data,” Dr Fernandes says.
The technology has the potential to create innovative solutions for precision agriculture and pollination services.

NSSN Environment & Agriculture Theme Leader Dr Tomonori Hu says the project is an exciting collaboration that links cutting edge sensor research to commercial deployed products in the field.

“Biosecurity threats are real and inevitable, and we need more sensing work in this area urgently,” Dr Hu says.

“The diversity of minds in this project is critical in tackling this issue.”

Hive of activity: monitoring system to help bee health