Pollen count: sensors monitor smart hive

Apiago is a French start-up company looking to help revolutionise the preservation of bees and promote biodiversity through a new-concept smart beehive which allows beginners with no beekeeping knowledge to install and maintain a beehive in their own garden. Apiago also supports businesses and communities in preserving pollinators by providing the food and shelter necessary for their presence. The Apiago beehive, which resembles a giant acorn, is the symbol of this initiative for biodiversity. The wall mounted autonomous, solar-powered hive, with its dedicated mobile phone app and internet integrated technology, includes a Zemic L6D 20 kg load cell that allows the bee colony’s weight gain or loss to be monitored as the bees pollinate the local area and the hive develops through the seasons.

Whilst load cell-based weighing systems have been extensively used for traditional hives by apiarists over many years, the patented Apiago hive brings beekeeping as a consumer-oriented product which can be installed in practically any garden or allotment setting and used without specialist knowledge.

Zemic worked with Apiago through a series of development trials and the 20 kg capacity L6D series load cell was selected as the best fitting and most cost-effective component for the application. The aluminium-alloy, IP65-rated single point load cell is OIML approved and has as a durable clear anodised finish. With a large selection of weighing ranges from 3 to 50 kg, it is widely used on commercial pricing, counting and bench scales.

As a supplier of load cell components and weighing systems Zemic Europe's products are used in applications from industrial process controls to precision agriculture, and from retail weighing systems to elevator load safety. Unusual applications include strain gauges embedded into exoskeletons for spinal cord injury research, electric bike pedal load cells, and miniature force sensors for load feedback on high-end vinyl record turntables.

Variohm EuroSensor is the UK distributor for Zemic and has a close association with the company since 2008, providing application support and a full sales service across the range of load and force sensors with capacities from a few hundred grams to more than 500 tons. Product families include single point cells, compression cells, S-type, shear beam and spoke type load cells. Also available are complete weighing assemblies, separate strain gauge circuits, junction boxes, mounting accessories and electronics.

www.variohm.com