Practicing beekeeping using artificial intelligence

Young beekeeper Dominik Zosso takes out his smartphone. He then taps the honeycomb-shaped button that appears on his screen. Thanks to its application, all the information about its bees can be consulted. This 38-year-old man is part of a new generation of beekeepers who approach this breeding a little differently: in addition to proximity to nature, digital assistance is added.

The interest in bees developed by Dominik Zosso was aroused during a meeting with a representative of Free the Bees. In addition to classic honey-producing activities, this association wishes to reintroduce a population of bees that would live in complete freedom. “The honey bee is the third most important production animal, behind beef and pork,” we read in the association’s statutes. Its extinction would have significant consequences for humans and nature.”

An opinion shared by the United Nations: “Nearly 90% of the species of flowering plants that grow wild in the world depend entirely or at least partially on animal pollination, writes the international organization on the occasion of World Bee Day. The same goes for more than 75% of the food grown in the world and 35% of the agricultural land used in the world.” Problem: the mortality rate of bees would now be 100 to 1000 times higher than normal.

Dominik Zosso therefore took action. In a forest in Bern belonging to his family, he created a natural habitat favorable to bees. A year later, the first bees settled there – but two years later, they were dead! “I didn’t know what this was due to,” explains the beekeeper. I then began to take a closer interest in this subject.” His conclusion: maintain the close-to-nature approach of Free the Bees, without completely renouncing treatments.

Since March 2024, Dominik Zosso has installed 21 bee colonies in hives located on three sites in the canton of Fribourg. “Most of the farmers were happy when I asked them if I could use their land,” he explains. Bees are part of nature and promote biodiversity. As a thank you, Dominik Zosso offered them, this summer, a few pots of his first production.

The application that Dominik Zosso uses for beekeeping was designed in Switzerland. BeeSmart not only wants to help beekeepers in their work, but also promote exchanges between them and the population. The company wants to “inform and raise awareness among the Swiss population about the importance of bees”. On a map, everyone can see which beekeepers are registered in their region. Swarms can also be reported through the app.

Dominik Zosso mainly uses BeeSmart for the management of his 21 bee colonies. “The app is great,” he says. In just a few clicks, he has an overview of the tasks to be accomplished in each colony.

Every week, Dominik Zosso visits his bees for a quick check-up. And every month, he devotes half a day to the individual inspection of each of the departments. Beekeeping is complex farming, as different parasites can kill insects. Additionally, each year, bees go through different phases. “Even beekeepers who have decades of experience continue to learn,” explains Dominik Zosso. Beekeeping is, in a way, like raising children.

BeeSmart thinks so too. The app developers came up with a device they called “BeePhone.” This little yellow box is placed in the hive and provides the beekeeper with live data. “During the swarming season, hives should be opened frequently, so that swarming is detected in time,” explains BeeSmart. However, each hive opening represents a test for the bee colony.

Using artificial intelligence, BeePhone analyzes hive data. As soon as these indicate that the bees are about to swarm, the beekeeper receives a push message. “In fact, beekeepers no longer miss any swarms and save themselves unnecessary trips to the apiary,” explains BeeSmart. In addition to swarm data, BeePhone provides information on indoor temperature and air humidity. The first 100 devices are currently in the testing phase. Their development is notably supported by Swisscom and the Swiss Climate Foundation.

“With bees you always have to work in a relaxed and calm manner, otherwise they notice it straight away,” says Dominik Zosso when asked what he particularly likes about beekeeping. Applications like BeeSmart help him maintain the necessary peace of mind.