HivePulse has finally made the journey to the KZN Honey Festival, and what an amazing experience it was! The event hosted by the KZN Bee Farmers Association was created to promote public awareness of bees and beekeeping. HivePulse was invited to the event, and we jumped at the opportunity to engage with the community and learn more about the real-world issues, desires, and opportunities that beekeepers face.
The science of Apiculture: KZN Bee Farmers Association & the Honey Festival
The KZN Bee Farmers Association is one of South Africa’s most prominent beekeeping organisations that promote the interest of ethical beekeeping and honey making.
New beekeepers in KwaZulu-Natal and surrounding areas are encouraged to join the Association and attend Open Days and Beekeeping Events. Together, all aspects of practical beekeeping can be experienced by the novice beekeeper.
From beekeeping courses, equipment, bee removals, honey for sale and pollination services, the association is buzzing with opportunity. And once a year, they host the much-anticipated Honey Festival, open to all. The event took place on 31 July 2022.
HivePulse, Honey Fest and Beekeepers
This event was our first public showcase of the HivePulse solution. As a first experience, we were nervous, yet excited because the bee farming community is a tight-knit one. But they welcomed us with open arms, and we were so pleased with the engagement.
As we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the festival, meeting like-minded and passionate apiculturists, one common thread kept popping up in our conversations with beekeepers, and it’s a serious one.
A concerning trend of beehive theft and vandalism is emerging and continues to affect beekeepers across the country. Apart from the obvious monetary loss, beehive theft has far-reaching consequences such as damaging biodiversity & ecology and threatening the food supply.
“Bee farmers are trying to get bees to be seen as livestock so that authorities will take them seriously”, says Julia Evans, reporting for the Daily Maverick. She continued to explain that thieves cut out the honey, destroying the hives, equipment and killing the broods in the process.
Image courtesy of Johann Piber
Already having a solution to this emerging issue, allowed HivePulse to not only show event visitors what we’re all about but also gave them a beacon of hope.
For those new to HivePulse, we’ve developed a beehive monitoring solution to help give beekeepers peace of mind. Our beehive monitoring device helps beekeepers know the ins and outs of their hives and helps avoid sticky situations and sticky fingers.
HivePulse gives you a real-time inside look at your hives through its enhanced sensor technology. These sensors send alert notifications in response to the unexpected movement of the hive, preventing theft. These sensors also help you monitor variation in temperature and humidity readings, helping you keep your bees safe and healthy.
“We received an overwhelming interest in the product, which is currently in its pilot stage. The pilot stage allows us to tailor the solution to beekeepers and test that it meets the beekeepers’ needs.” – Albert Mutangiri, HivePulse Founder.
We’re currently hard at work with the pilot stage and although we’re still in the early days, engaging with the community has given us a tremendous amount of insights. We can’t wait to show you more and we’re so happy to not only be welcomed into the amazing community but also to be able to help support amazing individuals. Please visit our social media pages and website to keep up to date with HivePulse and learn more.