Design of an automatic real-time beehive temperature and humidity monitoring and control system.

Abstract

Bees are very important for terrestrial ecosystems and, above all for the subsistence of many crops, due to their ability to pollinate flowers. In Uganda, the apiculture industry employs over 1.2 million people and aside from honey, the industry generates propolis, beeswax, and bee venom, which are used for cosmetic, medical, and food purposes. There are several factors that need to be considered so that the bee can produce honey properly and optimally. These factors include the state of temperature and humidity of the beehive itself. Extreme temperatures and humidity affect the pattern of making honey and the yield of honey itself. Therefore, due to these factors, the aim of this project is to monitor the temperature and humidity in the beehive in real-time to know the behavior of the bees and controlled to ensure the productivity of the honey bees. To monitor the temperature and humidity, DHT22 sensors are used both in and outside of the beehive, and for control a dc fan and a PTC air heater plate connected to a raspberry pi are used to maintain the temperature of about (30°c — 36°c) which is the favorable for bees. The temperature and humidity values from the sensors are stored to a database and made viewable to the farmer through a web application. The system is aimed at reducing the increasing losses in Agriculture mainly from the beekeeping sector.