This browser does not support the Video element.
AI-powered beekeeping technology
A Pasco County community is using AI technology to keep its beehive healthy. FOX 13’s Kylie Jones reports.
LAND O'LAKES, Fla. - As the U.S. bee population declines, a farm community in Pasco County is using AI-powered technology to protect its bee colonies.
The community of Angeline in Land O' Lakes is the first master-planned community to deploy this automated system, according to project developers.
Pasco County colony protection
What we know:
A farm community in Angeline, located in Land O' Lakes, has become the first master-planned community to implement the robotic BeeHome system to manage its bee population.
The technology, created by a company named Beewise, utilizes an array of internal sensors and cameras to closely monitor the health of bee colonies and take over daily manual tasks for beekeepers.
According to Beewise experts, these robotic components can target frames with extreme precision.
"The robotics know where it is in the frame or where it is in the hive at any point," Steve Peck, the managing director with Beewise said. "It can pick it up just like a beekeeper would, inspect it, and report that back to technicians around the world."
A look inside the automated BeeHome robotic hive configuration deployed at the farm community of Angeline in Land O' Lakes. The advanced hardware system developed by technology company Beewise relies on internal cameras and sensors to target individu …
Automated hive threat detection
What we don't know:
While the system tracks overarching biological shifts, it is not clear how many individual bees are currently lost each day to unpredictable flash weather incidents or localized pesticide exposures outside the automated structures.
Technicians have not detailed the exact number of seasonal environmental variables the system's software cannot completely neutralize.
A close-up view of a standard honeycomb frame pulled from a hive, completely covered in active honeybees. Managing Director Steve Peck stated that the automated robotics are designed to recognize exactly where they are on the frame at any given point …
Global food supply impact
Why you should care:
The rapid collapse of bee populations across the United States poses a direct threat to agricultural stability.
"Bees pollinate roughly 75% of the crops we eat and about 80% of flowering plants around the word," Peck said. "So, without those bees, our food supply is in jeopardy."
The community of Angeline relies entirely on these insects to pollinate its local 2.5-acre farm. This agricultural plot directly supplies the fresh food options utilized at the community's public café.
The automated robotic beehive enclosure sits operational on a grass plot near a public walking path in Pasco County. While the technology is currently used across hundreds of thousands of agricultural acres nationwide to combat colony collapse, proje …
Robotic colony collapse prevention
By the numbers:
The robotic system can immediately alter internal environments to save bees when an issue is detected.
"We can treat them within the hive by moving them to a new part of the home that raises the temperature," Peck said. "It's enough to kill the mites, but not the bees. And there, we can prevent that colony collapse, and have shown, basically a 70% reduction to what we're seeing naturally around the world."
The automated units inspect for queen health, egg production, and infestations of varroa mites, which act as a leading cause of colony destruction.
The system is already operational across hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land nationwide.
A group of individuals wearing protective white beekeeping suits gathers closely around the open BeeHome technical enclosure to monitor its internal automated systems. Experts with Beewise emphasize that although the digital platform handles immediat …
Environmental agricultural threats
What they're saying:
Project coordinators emphasize that human oversight remains vital, but environmental dangers require constant technical aid.
"Every day, bees run the risk of being destroyed due to just the weather and elements and pesticides," Lisa Gibbings, with Metro Development Group said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from interviews conducted with Metro Development Group and a Beewise beekeeper, as well as factual data provided directly by the Beewise company.