Bioinsight combines hive sensing with pollen DNA analysis, so that decisions about a colony rest on measurement rather than impression. We work with researchers studying honeybee ecology and with beekeepers improving their management practice.
Two sources of evidence
Colony management improves when two independent kinds of data are read together.
Continuous hive monitoring records what is happening inside and around the hive — brood-rearing activity, the build-up of stores, the early signs of swarming, and stress from heat, humidity or mites. Because the data arrives without opening the hive, inspections can be reduced and the colony disturbed less.
Pollen DNA metabarcoding identifies which plant species the bees have actually foraged, by sequencing the pollen DNA in honey. This tells you what the surrounding landscape is providing, how forage shifts through the season, and what distinguishes one apiary's honey from another's.
Hive monitoring
We supply and support BroodMinder, a hive monitoring system well established in North America and Europe. The sensors measure temperature and humidity inside the hive and the weight of the hive itself, which together indicate brood-rearing status, colony strength, the accumulation of stores and the approach of swarming.
Readings are collected through the BroodMinder Bees smartphone application for iOS and Android, uploaded to a members' site, and available for review and download from a computer.
| Model | Measurement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| T2SM | Temperature inside the hive | Installed inside the hive |
| TH2SM | Temperature and humidity inside the hive | Installed inside the hive |
| W3 | Outside temperature and hive weight | Simple assembly and a timber rail required |
| W5 | Outside temperature and hive weight | Metal construction, battery life of around five years |
Monitoring temperature inside the hive alone gives a useful picture of brood rearing, thermal regulation and the early detection of problems.
Please note that BroodMinder hardware supply and support is currently offered within Japan. For enquiries from outside Japan, please contact us about the analysis services described below.
Honey pollen analysis
The plant metabarcoding described on our environmental DNA page is applied directly to honey. Honey is a difficult template for DNA work, and our protocols were developed for exactly this kind of low-yield, inhibitor-rich sample.
- Identification of floral sources from the pollen contained in honey
- Time-series analysis showing how forage composition changes through a season
- Evidence supporting origin and raw-material claims
- Species-level assignment using cross-validated reference databases, with a naive Bayes classifier and BLAST used together to avoid misassignment
Deliverables for research use include a report, sequence data in FASTQ format, and annotation results with read counts in XLSX format.
Who we work with
- Researchers studying honeybee behaviour, colony health and foraging ecology
- Beekeepers who want management decisions grounded in data
- Producers seeking to characterise and differentiate their honey
- Organisations assessing the forage value of a landscape
Enquiries
Tell us what you are trying to find out — colony health, forage composition, seasonal change or product characterisation — and we will suggest which combination of monitoring and analysis fits. We normally respond within two business days.