A Group of Students of IPB Created “Beeditech” Digital Bee Hive
Did you know that there is real honey and fake honey? Honey is magic. Besides its delicious taste, it's pretty much the only food that does not spoil while in an edible state. Who does not know honey? Honey bees are very important to us and are responsible for a great deal of the world's pollination. This sweet liquid has long been used by humans as a natural nutritious food. But did you know that the process of formation of honey has a long process that is not simple? The bees had to learn a rule to match a combination of shapes with nectar. Honey bees selectively avoid difficult choices they lack the information to solve. After the process of bee maintenance, honey harvesting is done in some inefficient ways because it can damage the honeycomb.
A group of students of IPB through Kelompok Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa bidang Karsa Cipta (PKM-KC Student Creativity Program for Karsa Cipta) made innovations by modifying conventional beekeeping into digital bee-based cages and its use can be repeatedly. The group consists of Rizki Maulana, Hezekiah, Nida Nurul and Virssa N.
“Beeditech” is an auto bee cage, the group made such innovation as they inspired to modify the conventional bee cages that require technological know-how for more efficiencies. “Beeditech” became a modified enclosure and managed using automatic digital technology.
In terms of bee cage chambers, three of which have been modified. The modified chambers were the nest room adaptation, automatic nest room and work system space. Adaptation nest room serves to store the nest that has been inhabited by bee colony. The bee colony will move from the adaptation nest space to the automatic honeycomb. It is the honeycomb section which the group had innovated.
The conventional honeycomb has a static hexagon structure. Bees will fill the hole with honey during the maintenance period. Harvesting is done by removing the nest from the cage and then applying rotation or other physical treatment to get the honey out of the hive.
"The methods currently used are brushing and shaking bees from each comb, removing the super of honey and letting bees fly and walk out, using escape boards and using bee blowers. The job of removing the honey may damage the beehive, as the works are not performed well. Using a structural shift system, the honeycomb does not require removal from the enclosure. The automatic system opens the structure of the hexagon hive so that the honey that has formed the principle of operation of the Newtonian fluid. Easily, honey is collected through a valve to be moved to another place, "said Rizki Maulana Munirul as Chairman of PKM-KC.
Movement controls are present in the system of work systems containing microcontrollers, sound and fluid sensors, batteries for energy sources, and buttons as command impulses. Sensors that are installed in the cage will make it easy to know the right moment for harvesting honey.
"The breeder does not need to open the bee cage, the sensor will send signal to inform whether the fluid has been filled with honey. “Beeditech” automatic cage operation is also designed to be optionable for general beekeepers as it is easy to use, "he explained.
“Beeditech” is made to help beekeepers in terms of efficiency and improve the quality of honey in Indonesia. With “Beeditech” bee cage application on existing bee farms will shorten the honey production mechanism. So, if you are interested in developing bee farms, “Beeditech” automatic enclosure becomes an option in the efficiency of your work as well as maintaining the quality of honey from its nest. (Wied)
