Climatech precision robotics company BeeWise is attempting to prevent colony collapse — a phenomenon wherein worker bees abandon the queen bee and the colony possibly due to causes such as pests and lack of nutrition, among others — with its robotic hive solution.

Dubbed BeeHome, the reinvented robotic beehive is a solar powered structure that autonomously cares for bees, prevents swarming, keeps pests away and harvests honey via artificial intelligence (AI).

Source: BeeWise

Designed to hold 24 beehives, BeeHome monitors the hives in real time using AI and computer vision. In the absence of foliage and flowers, and thus nectar and pollen, BeeHome will autonomously feed the bees. Likewise, the system deters Varroa mites, which are tick-like pests that infect bees with viruses. This is accomplished with heat treatments that do not harm the bees.

According to the company, BeeHome enables beekeepers to autonomously accumulate honey during heavy flow seasons where they would typically have to manage hundreds of hives at once. Rather, BeeHome is alerted once each frame is full so that the system begins harvesting the honey autonomously.

“There’s an internal centrifuge, which turns very quickly. There’s a protocol of how long it needs to turn the frame,” the company explained. “Essentially, the robot uncaps the frame so that the honey will be free to flow, puts it in the centrifuge, the centrifuge turns for about eight to 15 minutes, depending on how sticky the honey is. Then the honey is collected in a big container, and that frame is being put back to work in the colony to gather more honey right away.”

The company suggests that BeeHome reduces bee mortality by 80%, resulting in increased yields of at least 50%, while also eliminating an estimated 90% of manual labor.

Considering that 75% of all fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts the world consumes relies on pollination from bees, the company aims to increase bee populations throughout the world using this technology.

The company has recently announced an $80 Million Series C funding round led by New York-based global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners. This reportedly brings the company's total funding to over $120 million.

Watch the accompanying video, which appears courtesy of BeeWise, for more information on the BeeHome.