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Precision Beekeeping Systems: State of the Art, Pros and Cons, and Their Application as Tools for Advancing theBeekeeping Sector

The present review aims to summarize the more recent scientific literature and updated state of the art on the research effort spent in adapting hardware–software tools to understand the true needs of honeybee colonies as a prerequisite for any sustainable management practice. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis was also performed with the aim of identifying the key factors that could support or impair the diffusion of precision beekeeping (PB) systems. Honeybee husbandry, or beekeeping, is starting to approach precision livestock farming (PLF), as has already happened in other animal husbandry sectors. A transition from the current paradigm of rational beekeeping to that of precision beekeeping (PB) is thus expected. However, due to the peculiarities of this species and the related farming practices, the PB technological systems (PB systems) are still undergoing a development process that, to some extent, limits their large-scale practical.

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Publication details

Authors
Pier Paolo Danieli, Nicola Francesco Addeo, Filippo Lazzari, Federico Manganello, Fulvia Bovera
Organizations
🇮🇹 University of Tuscia🇮🇹 University of Napoli Federico II
Year
2023
Type
Journal

Relevancy to Gratheon

This paper is relevant to Gratheon because it informs sensor hardware, telemetry pipelines, and monitoring dashboards, product strategy and competitive research mapping. Its methods and findings can be translated into product requirements for reliable field deployments: what should be sensed, how signals should be interpreted, and which uncertainty or validation limits need to be surfaced to beekeepers. For Gratheon, the work is most useful as an evidence-backed design reference for connecting local hive observations with actionable recommendations in the web app while keeping hardware practical for remote apiaries.