nation to provide pollination services to farmers throughout the year, those hives sometimes get stolen. In fact, more than 1,700 hives were stolen in California alone during the 2016 almond pollination season. The Bee Corp’s QGPS Hive Theft Tracking System provides beekeepers with an instant alert when unauthorized hive movement is detected. The technology has the ability to automatically notify local authorities to dispatch a patrol to the location of the hive, and later, generate a report that can be used to prosecute the thieves. The Bee Corp most recently turned its attention to questions surrounding pollination and introduced Verifli , the world's first digital bee grading solution. Powered by infrared technology, Verifli allows growers to grade bees 25 times faster than manual inspections; easily measure hive strength without disrupting bees; evaluate pollination reports on their phone; and translate data to ensure accurate pricing based on hive strength. “Our company is revolutionizing this important input by using infrared technology to inspect the strength of the beehive. In the next five to 10 years this will help growers optimize pollination by ensuring the health and effectiveness of beehives used in crop production,” said Symes. To support startups that are taking a proactive approach to save natural pollinators, the Center is helping move their technology forward through groundbreaking events. In early April, the Center will host an “All About Bees” AgTechx event where innovators, growers and researchers will come together to discuss what immediate steps need to occur to preserve honey bees. This includes changes across farming operations, possible innovations yet to be developed and bringing current bee-related technologies from development to market.
for will provide cost savings for pollination services, improve honey production and reduce colony loss for beekeepers worldwide,” said AndrewWood, chair and co-founder of ApisProtect. In addition to IoT, encrypted GPS data is now being used to keep pollinators safe at home. The Bee Corp, one of the newest startups housed in the Center, launched a security system for beekeepers. “We started The Bee Corp to leverage data analytics and sensing technology to help commercial growers and beekeepers ensure effective pollination,” said Ellie Symes, CEO of The Bee Corp. “Bee health is important, as beehives need to be strong enough to pollinate one-third of the food grown in the United States.” When commercial beekeepers migrate their hives around the
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MARCH | APRIL 2019
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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