Smart Beekeeping for Cyprus in the IoT Era

Middle East is considered to be the birthplace of beekeeping. The history dates back to 3000 years BC. Different types of hives have been produced from natural materials which are available in the region. The father of modern beekeeping Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth (1810–1895), invented the movable frame hive around 1850’s. Since then, beekeepers have been using this design widely. Utilization of Langstroth hives started in 1970’s in Cyprus and became the dominant design. Although the environment, weather conditions and beekeeper attitudes are changing continuously, roughly about the last 50 years, the hive design stayed the same. Multiple factors such as temperature, moisture, weight and sound frequency influence the hive and bees’ sensors are able to detect these factors send data to distant locations with IoT this necessitates remote monitoring of the hives in Cyprus. Applying precision beekeeping strategies will allow timely control over these factors, in order to improve honey bee health and hive products production.