Design of an innovative system for precision beekeeping

Abstract

The innovative technologies of precision agriculture can be applied today to different productive sectors of agriculture in order to optimize crop production and to improve the quality of the final products. One of these is beekeeping, a very important sector both from an environmental and a production standpoint. The production of honey depends on many factors, some of which are environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity and wind. The aim of this study was the design of a Precision Apicolture System (PAS) platform for monitoring and controlling the main environmental factors, both inside and outside the hive, in order to assess their influence on the honey daily production. The tests were carried out in a cultivated field with French honeysuckle plants in full bloom. The results obtained confirm the accuracy of the data recorded by the PAS platform, providing a valid decisional support to the operator (Decision Support System).