Let’s imagine the scene. A bee farm, made up of numerous hives, located in a mountain pasture, at 850 meters above sea level. The question arises spontaneously: how does the poor beekeeper understand when the time has come to climb up the slope to collect honey? Very simple: thanks to a weighing system made up of 3 elements, in detail: load cell, electronic instrumentation and PLC system equipped with Cloud app.
In this way the weight of each hive is constantly monitored and the weight data is conveniently transmitted to the farm owner, thanks to a Cloud system. Weight it is just one of the data that the system can collect and send to the Cloud via PLC: in addition to it, in fact, the system is able to recover and transmit temperature and humidity data, fundamental parameters for the well-being and life of bees and the entire hive.
Hygrometers: Humidity monitoring for a balanced environment for the beekeepers
Humidity is a critical element to monitor in bee farms. Hygrometers are instruments designed to measure the relative humidity of the air. They can be digital or analog and provide beekeepers with crucial information about the humidity in and around the hive. An environment with the right level of humidity is essential for bee health and breeding success. Hygrometers allow beekeepers to regulate the humidity within the hive, helping to prevent problems such as dehydration of larvae or the growth of harmful molds.
The importance of humidity in hives and bee farms
Humidity, generally maintained between 40% and 60%, plays several vital roles within the hive. One of these is thermal regulation: bees, in fact, are able to regulate the temperature inside the hive thanks to the evaporation of water. Proper humidity allows them to maintain an optimal temperature, which is especially important during the warmer or colder seasons.
But humidity is not only important for temperature. In an environment with the right level of humidity, bees can develop their larvae healthily. Inadequate humidity could lead to dehydration of the larvae themselves, while excessive humidity could favor the development of harmful molds.
Wax production, used by bees to build combs and store honey, is also affected by humidity. An environment with the right level of humidity promotes the production of quality wax, essential for the functioning and structure of the hive.
But that is not all. Bees also use moisture in the air to communicate with each other. For example, the degree of humidity can influence the bees’ dance, a communication mechanism used to indicate the direction and distance of food sources.
However, maintaining a correct humidity level is not just a matter of bee well-being. It also helps control parasites, such as Varroa mites, which can seriously damage bee colonies. An environment with adequate ventilation and humidity can help control the presence of these parasites and protect bees.
Finally, an environment with the right level of humidity can help keep bees more resilient to disease, as excessive humidity can encourage the spread of pathogens.
Hive thermometers: precise temperature monitorin
An additional factor that influences bee health is the temperature inside the hive. Thermometers specially designed for hives provide beekeepers with an accurate indication of the ambient temperature inside the hives. These thermometers can be digital or analog and are often equipped with probes that allow you to place the sensor directly inside the hive to measure the temperature in real time. These devices are indispensable during the warmer or colder seasons, when it is essential to maintain an optimal temperature for the well-being of the bees.
For the application of monitoring the weight of hives, CELMI srl supports specialists with an off-center load cell model SUP1 with capacities up to 50 kg in aluminium:
Typical applications:
Small platforms- Hoppers
Small platformsCAPACITY: 3-5-6-10-15-20-30-35-50 Kg
MAIN FEATURES:
- Universal use
- Low cost
- Aluminum construction
- Platform dimensions: 250x300mm
CELMI s.r.l. Tel: +39 0245712209 Largo Brugnatelli 13/16 Pag. 2 di 3 info@celmi.com 20090 Buccinasco (MI) celmi.com
- ATEX certification
In addition to this load cell, the hive monitoring system proposed by CELMI, called CONNECT 4.0, includes the presence of a control unit capable of carrying out various functions: both weighing and the cloud and sending data via radio. Below are the program features of the CONNECT 4.0 instrument:
- Insertion/modification/cancellation of orders.
- Selection of the order to be worked on with the possibility of a work break.
- Calculation of the sum of the weight accumulated from the weighings.
- Calculation of the number of weighs for the load of the selected order.
- Export of production logs to USB key or web browser.
For more information and details on these products and for the other solutions in the CELMI srl catalogue, you can visit the website www.celmi.com and write to info@celmi.com
