The bee industry is flying into the future with artificial intelligence and robotic pollination
While Back to the Future led us to believe that flying cars and hoverboards would have taken over the world by now, another new technology is generating a lot of buzz across the globe.
The use of artificial intelligence on farms as well as robotic bees are reportedly improving pollination efforts and increasing crop yields.
Today, pollination from honey bees contributes almost $6 billion annually to Australia’s agriculture ecosystem and economy.
In the most ideal of environments, there is the perfect amount of pollinators to plants for crop production. However, the reality for many farmers requiring bees is that there is often a discrepancy in that ratio, making their crop yield production transient from season to season.
One solution to this problem comes from a new alliance forged this year.
In July, Monson’s Honey and Pollination, an Australian beekeeping and pollination company, and BeeHero, an agritech company for precise pollination, announced their partnership. Together they will bring BeeHero’s hive monitoring technology into the Australian market for better and long-lasting beehive and crop health.
The companies say farmers can expect unprecedented visibility into the strength, health, and activity of farmers’ colonies through BeeHero’s platform, which provides 24/7 access to viewable insights from Monson’s powerful pollinating bees.
BeeHero uses its unintrusive in-hive sensors to monitor each colony precisely and remotely, obtaining audio and biological data from the bees living there.
Using AI-generated algorithms to analyse the data, growers are provided information to help them better manage their hives, take proactive measures, and eliminate the guesswork and inaccuracies in the pollination process.
“This partnership represents a powerful fusion of traditional expertise and advanced digital solutions, unlocking unprecedented possibilities for the future of sustainable agriculture,” Monson’s director Trevor Monson says.
“By combining Monson’s extensive experience in pollination in Australia with BeeHero’s innovative technology, we aim to revolutionise the way we approach pollination services.
“Together, we will not only increase agricultural productivity but also play a vital role in preserving and protecting the delicate balance of our ecosystem.”
Further buzz
This is not the only work being done on the bee front.
Similarly, a new monitoring system developed by Monash University in Victoria, the NativeBee+ Tech Facility is “generating same-day data of crop pollination levels and provides farmers with the evidence they need to inform decision-making,” according to research co-author and lab director Alan Dorin.
This means, farmers, beekeepers, and researchers alike can gain a better understanding of the insect-plant interaction from NativeBee+’s AI and micro-cameras.
“These simple interventions can ensure a better rate of successful pollination and a higher yield of market-quality fruit,” Dorin says.
“We believe that this system will serve as a benchmark for future research in precision pollination.”
Taking it one step further, we can be on the lookout for even more AI and technological implementation on Australia’s farms, with robotic platforms such as Arugga’s commercial robot pollinator taking over New South Wales’ Costa Group’s tomato greenhouse.
Arugga’s technology not only avoids the need to rely on bees to pollinate crops, it also tracks and detects pests and viruses, and prevents the spread of diseases from bees, the company says.
But robotic bees won’t be taking over just yet.
Emphasising the importance of the little buzzers, University of the Sunshine Coast chemistry academics Trong Tran and Peter Brooks have been able to identify 16 types of Australian high-grade propolis, otherwise known as ‘bee-glue.’
In the two-year collaborative research project, partly funded by AgriFutures Australia, Tran confirms the chemical makeup of the 16 propolis samples had more potent antioxidant activity than some of the international types generating big profits overseas.
These findings have allowed beekeepers to find new sources of revenue with more industry jobs.
“Established cosmeceutical industries add propolis to products intended to have both cosmetic and therapeutic benefits, such as mouth sprays, soap, toothpaste, dietary supplements and skincare creams,” Tran says.
“In the food and beverage industry, propolis can be a preservative.”
Farmers might just want to start getting busy with bees and the new supporting AI to transform their operations for the future.
