from Fred Nichols
MSBA is terrifically fortunate to have a history of innovative, revolutionary contributions to beekeeping science, both in the lab and in the field. A new effort by Maryland beekeeper Fred Nichols is seeking to combine the best tools, information, and team work to create a real time tool for beekeeping planning and decisions.
Using AI and sensors to spot key seasonal events
Cattail Ridge Honey, in Montgomery County has asked Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education) to fund a two-season project (March 2027 to September 2029) that will test whether hive sensors and practical AI tools spot colonies that need attention for mites, stores and swarming better than the calendar does.
Funding or not, here we go!
The applications are in, and the team is still waiting on the award, but the plan doesn't depend on it. As Fred says, "We're doing precision apiculture either way. The grant decides how big the project gets and how far it reaches."
The groundwork is already running. Since October, an hourly pipeline has pulled ApisNode in-hive data from four hives at a reference apiary. Every five minutes it records brood-nest temperature, humidity, and full sound and vibration bands. The project scores swarm piping (260–500 Hz) against each hive's own 14-day baseline. The sensors also track winter-cluster stress by comparing inside and outside temperature.
Late this month, the project's own test node arrives with a BroodMinder scale. A sudden weight drop is the surest sign a swarm has left. Alerts will fire only when sound, vibration and weight agree! After a 14-day baseline, scoring goes live, and spring swarm season is the real test.
Using AI, not being used by it
Fred's team is also building advisory bots: a daily yard summary, a swarm-risk predictor, and an inspection loop that checks each sensor prediction against what we find when we open the hive. One rule holds throughout: AI supports your judgment and never makes treatment decisions.
Call for Volunteers!
So many people are interested that we've put out a call for volunteers. The project needs coders, image labelers, sensor installers, bloom observers, apiary helpers and workshop crew. Most roles take a few hours a month. Join the What'sApp Precision Apiculture Group to learn more. Download the application, set up your account, and then email beeline@mdbeekeepers.org to be added.
Watch for workshop to learn more
Next October or November, the first full-day workshop is in the works in collaboration with MSBA and the UMD vanEngelsdorp Bee Lab. It's a chance to understand the work, share the results, and participate in this powerful new experiment in the future of informed beekeeping.