System Architectures for Real-time Bee Colony Temperature Monitoring

Beehive monitoring can provide useful information for people associated with beekeeping to help to manage their honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. The information obtained from the monitoring process can contain data about beehive's temperature, humidity, weight etc. Such a monitoring system is a practical tool in Precision Beekeeping. Honey bee colonies can be monitored using various system architectures that are different in methods and approaches. Since there are several monitoring system architectures, beekeeper himself should choose the one that suits his needs. To facilitate the beekeeper's choice of the suitable architecture, a selection algorithm was developed. This paper focuses on different automatic monitoring system architectures for real-time beehive temperature monitoring, distinguishing their advantages and disadvantages. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.