BeeHero (website), a leader in data-driven precision pollination, has announced the introduction of its Healthy Hive Score today. This new metric measures bee health and fosters improved bee welfare management among industry stakeholders. The announcement comes shortly after the company reported saving an estimated quarter of a billion bees in the past year by deploying its unique Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. Beekeepers utilizing BeeHero’s technology have reported a 33% decrease in colony losses compared to the US national average.
Amidst the ongoing challenge of feeding a growing global population with diminishing resources, bee pollination plays a crucial role. Bee pollination contributes about $18 billion annually in value to US crops alone and is vital for producing a large portion of the world’s nutritious food. However, a staggering loss of nearly 40% of managed honey bee colonies in the US between 2021-2022 poses a significant threat to the pollination of essential food crops and the future of global food supplies. There is an urgent need to measure and promote bee welfare to maintain the efficacy of bee pollination.
As the world’s foremost provider of Precision Pollination as a Service (PPaaS), BeeHero has amassed the most extensive database of bee behavior data to date. Leveraging this vast repository of information, the BeeHero Healthy Hive Score is a new evaluation model that assesses colony health based on factors such as colony growth, brood health, queen presence, weather conditions, and flight hours. This system gives beekeepers an in-depth understanding of their colonies’ health, allowing them to take preventative measures to mitigate colony loss and promote bee welfare. For growers, the Healthy Hive Score enables more informed decisions regarding crop pollination, increasing yields while maintaining bee health. The score also empowers retailers and consumers to make knowledgeable purchasing decisions that support bee welfare.
Omer Davida, Co-Founder and CEO of BeeHero, says, “The Healthy Hive Score is our latest innovation providing a window into the hive, enabling industry stakeholders to take critical, data-driven action and better manage their colonies, pollination, and yields. We look forward to continuing to leverage nature’s data to provide further fruitful insights to our beekeeper and grower partners.”
The Healthy Hive Score was initially used during California’s 2023 almond pollination season. Growers received scores based on analyzing each orchard pollinated by hives managed by BeeHero. According to the average outcome of almonds per acre, growers working with BeeHero during this season collectively produced about 270 million pounds of almonds under bee-friendly conditions.
Itai Kanot, Co-Founder and COO of BeeHero commented, “Bees are not only vital crop pollinators, but fascinating and vibrant creatures whose welfare should be thoughtfully considered and conscientiously managed. We are proud to have helped prevent the demise of a quarter of a billion bees, and we are thrilled to continue to offer beekeepers tools to measure the effectiveness of their efforts, assisting them in changing the fate of their colonies and ensuring thriving, buzzing hives.”
Photo by Damien TUPINIER on Unsplash
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