To bee or not to bee 

Most beekeepers pursue the practice of taking care of bee colonies as a hobby. They generally attend to only a few hives and are more interested in the ecological than the economic aspects of the beekeeping. Sideline beekeepers on the other hand operate up to 300 hives simultaneously, and while they are also not professionals, do have an interest in the extra income generated through producing honey. Commercial beekeepers control as many as 50,000 colonies.  

Yet, no matter how large and time intensive their operation may be, all beekeepers face similar challenges. When new queen bees are bred and the old population is swarming out of the hive for example, beekeepers want to provide them with a new stock, where they can settle. Another tricky aspect of beekeeping is to find exactly the right time to harvest the honey as well as to feed the bees. Most hobby beekeepers are also looking for practical ways to produce their own hive frames.
While beekeepers have come up with various useful ways to deal with these and other challenges over past centuries, perhaps modern technology and the use of digital tools can be helpful in making their operation run even more smooth and effective.

Be part of this international swarm intelligence project and support beekeepers from around the world by creating innovative solutions for the beekeeping benchmark of the future. Become part of something big. Join this global research network and help save the bees!