A hive of activity: new sensors detect campus bee data

New technology installed at an apiary at Harper Adams University has helped to answer a crucial question – ‘what time do the campus’ bees get up?’

The apiary is part of a new development at the University, which also includes demonstration grape and hop vines.

Each will be used for both student teaching and research – and Harper Adams Reader in Entomology, Dr Tom Pope, has already begun to glean data from the project thanks to some new, high-tech hive additions.

He said: “It is great to see how the hives have established – it looks like there will be some honey to harvest soon!

“We have installed the first of the sensors to record the productivity of each hive alongside measurements of hive temperature and humidity.

“We have even installed a sensor to count the numbers of bees entering and leaving each hive.

“Finally, we have fitted pollen traps to see which species of plants the bees are foraging on.”

The sensors have already demonstrated that the high levels of light as days remained long have encourage the University bees to be early risers as they became accustomed to their new home during August.

Tom added: “For everyone wondering at what time do the bees in the Apiary get up, we can put your mind at rest! The BeeDar system from BroodMinder tells us that they are active from around 6am.

“When they are busy, though, they are very busy - collecting pollen from a range of plants.

“We have captured pictures of the pollen they have collected, which are several different colours – which indicate each is from a different source of pollen from the surrounding area!”