'HoneyPi' is a measuring system for smart beekeepers. The beehive scale is based on the Raspberry Pi and was developed by Javan Rasokat, Melissa Spinuzza, Kevin Lauff and Max Freisler under the supervision of lecturer Dennis Schulmeister-Zimolong. 'HoneyPi' was created as part of a university project on the Internet of Things in the 6th semester of the Business Informatics course at DHBW Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Karlsruhe). The groups were able to implement their own ideas - as long as they were based on a Raspberry Pi.

Although hive scales are nothing new for beekeepers, existing systems are very expensive to purchase and operate. In contrast, the 'HoneyP'i project aims to offer beekeepers a smart measuring system that they can assemble themselves for less than 100 euros.

Structure of the HoneyPi beehive scale.

© DHBW KA | Javan Rasokat

HoneyPi' measures temperature, humidity, air pressure and weight. The data is visualized with the help of the 'HoneyPi' app. This allows beekeepers to call up the values from anywhere and, for example, see exactly when a swarm of bees flies out: The swarm alarm is triggered by a drop in weight and the beekeeper is notified via email. The brood chamber temperature can also be monitored. This can be used to determine whether the hive is being kept sufficiently warm in the winter cluster and whether the colony still has brood.

The measuring station can be operated independently at the apiary using a solar panel and a battery. The device can also connect to the Internet via a surf stick. The measurement data is stored on a central web server so that it can be accessed at any time from anywhere using a smartphone.