A buzz about high tech hives

An enterprising Network Engineering student spent his Honours year designing a new way to help beekeepers monitor their hives from a distance.

Reuben Puketapu’s ENGR 489 project, titled Internet-connected beehives, addresses the problems faced by beekeepers with beehives in remote locations, fulfilling his long-term goal to use technology to “make people’s lives easier”.

There is currently a lack of resources to help beekeepers know when their hives require attention, says Reuben, as well as a recent spate of thefts throughout New Zealand that have robbed beekeepers of hard-earned revenue. Honey from hives is one of New Zealand’s main agricultural exports, with over 700,000 registered beehives.

Reuben ‘smart’ beehive solution has internet connectivity and uses sensors to monitor key metrics for the beekeepers. These metrics include tracking colony activity and swarm health, and providing real-time alerts for threats to the hive.

“I wanted to create an entire system to solve the problems that beekeepers are currently facing,” Reuben says. “Because there are so many elements to the system, making everything work in harmony was a challenge. I used all the skills I learnt through my university courses, from Arduino programming in first year to cloud computing in fourth year.”

Reuben used Amazon Web Services (AWS) to make a cloud database and a web application for accessing beehive metrics through a simple interface, supported by AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, API Talent.

He says that he wanted to create something using both the ‘Internet of Things’, where objects are connected to the internet, as well as the ‘cloud’ where the data is stored, as both are cutting-edge technologies.

“I’ve loved the whole experience of this project, especially working with API Talent and learning about AWS which is a massive game-changer at the moment,” says Reuben.

“Learning from the best in the industry really made me understand what it takes to be an engineer. It’s awesome to have experience of the process involved in designing, implementing and evaluating a solution to a real-life problem.

“This experience has inspired me to keep expanding my knowledge, and I’m excited for what’s to come in the technology field.”