Research on the orientation flights and colony development of Apis cerana based on smart beehives

Pollinations as a result of bees collecting pollen from flowers are vital for maintaining the subtle balance of the earth's ecological system. However, apiculture is facing a crisis owing to collapsing honey bee colonies, yet the reasons are still unclear. As young bees are the future backbone of a colony, their behaviors could reveal the development of the colony and the problems causing colony collapse. In this study, we used Internet of Things technology to monitor the data of eight colonies of Apis cerana continuously over three years. We obtained more than 10,000 h of monitoring data to analyze the relationship between the orientation flight activities of young bees and changes in honeycomb weight, time, and local ambient temperature. The results indicated that the young bee ratio was closely associated with the trend in colony development. When the ratio of young bees participating in the orientation flight was low and stable, the colony size was likely to be maintained; in contrast, when the ratio was high and fluctuating considerably, the bee colony tended to decline. This finding can be used to predict the development trend of bee colonies and explore further quantitative factors that trigger abnormal colony losses.