A City Abuzz
There are a dozen beehives within a block of Times Square.
This August, up to 20000 bees escaped and swarmed a hotdog cart.
They were safely vacuumed up, but had they become hostile who knows how many people would have been hurt.
Colonies are collapsing due to pests such as varroa mites, which lead worker bees to leave the hive.
With the rise of beekeeping in NYC (legalized in 2010) there need to be safeguards preventing bee-disaster.
That is where technology can help.
Bee Smart Technology and UK Plan Bee are companies that allow bee keepers to remotely monitor their hives and predict when a swarm is upcoming.
The Thermosolar Hive, an upcoming device, goes even further by controlling optimal conditions. It uses solar power to heat the hive to a temperature that kills the mites and provides a nice cozy heated hive year round to keep bees comfortable.
However, the Thermosolar Hive is late in release, only available for pre order.
Bees are needed both for their honey and their usefulness as pollinators.
As beekeeping increases in density bee keepers need to update their methods, using new tech to monitor and control their hives.
Before that happen there may be more bees on the loose in NYC though, so don’t be surprised if you see a swarm while walking through midtown.
Klineman, Z. (2016, September 22). Can tech keep the world’s bees buzzing? BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-37386490
Watkins, A. (2018, August 28). Bees Swarm Times Square Hot-Dog Stand. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/nyregion/bees-swarm-times-square-hot-dog-stand.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock
