Israeli startup Beewise has created technology that could potentially reverse the extinction of bees on the planet. Forbes writes that the founders of the company created a smart beehive that can detect and neutralize threats to the population.

Scientists have long predicted the demise of these top pollinators for agriculture. In the scientific community, this is referred to as bee colony destruction syndrome, in which workers leave the hives forever, leaving the queens, food sources, and suckling bees. In the United States in 2007-2013, the average winter loss of bee numbers was between 15% and 30%, which is a normal level. Today this figure is over 35%. According to the CEO and co-founder of Israeli startup Saar Safri, once this figure reaches 50%, the world will not be able to prevent these insects from disappearing.

To neutralize the threats, the Israelis proposed a prototype of the “intelligent hive” Beehome. From afar, it’s more like a mobile lab. With the appropriate “stuffing”. The hive is equipped with precision robotic systems, computer vision and artificial intelligence. This allows you to monitor the bees and their needs in real time. Beekeepers have been doing the same for the past 150 years, but the creators of Beehome promise that their device will cope with tasks faster and more efficiently.

A smart hive instantly detects potential threats to the bee colony (such as the presence of pesticides or insect pests) and immediately activates its defense mechanisms. It is also programmed to provide food to the population at a time when natural bee food is not available. There is also protection against serious emergencies such as fire, flood, infestation by Asian wasps or wasp killers.

The initiative now manages more than seven billion bees, corresponding to 25,000 acres (10.1 thousand hectares) of pollinated crops. The founders claim that their invention has helped save more than 160 million bees in the last 12 months.

Our results speak for themselves. Beehome reduces bee mortality by 80% – from 35% to less than 8% of bee colony losses in the field, resulting in an increase in yield of at least 50%. Beehome eliminates around 90% of manual labor compared to traditional hives

Saar Safra, CEO and co-founder of Beewise

A small statistic to understand how important bees are to agriculture around the world. One-third of the world’s food is pollinated by bees. If we talk about vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, 71% of the harvest depends on the bees. The Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimates that annual global food production of $235 billion to $577 billion in 2016 is dependent on direct input from pollinators.

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