Bee Health app adds Real-Time Colony Health Reporting and Mapping, May 2021
Allen asked me for an update about our Bee Health Guru KS (BHGKS) app. The app records colony soundsand then uses these recordings to assess colony health. For 2021, we have changed the app to betteruse it for hive management records.
Our big news is that the app now automatically maps eightcolony health issues in real-time – as soon as a user uploads their colonyinspection reports. The app maps each reported colony health factor by date, time, and GPSlocation. The app standardizes visual colonyinspections, eliminates the guesswork of after-the-fact colony health surveyforms, and avoids slow turn-around times for data reports. For the first time, honey bee pest and disease outbreaks canbe mapped as they occur on regional, national, and even global scales. Rather than wait for annual reports, users can view trends over time, going backas far as late 2019 or as recent as the current month.
For 2021, we continue to ask users to help us calibrate theacoustic analysis part of the app. Launchedin August 2019, we received several thousand recordings in 2020. Unfortunately, a large number of recordingswere not usable, either because (1) the submitter did not include a colonyinspection report needed for app calibration or (2) the submitter submitted low-qualityrecordings. Many recordings were barelyaudible or contained intrusive ambient noises. The good news is that we learned that beekeepers appear to be happywhile working their bees; many sing while they work.
We also learned that most of our volunteers wanted to usethe visual colony inspection reports for their colony management. Specifically, they wanted to retain their ownrecords so that they could update and review them. Also, we were asked whether the GPS locationscould be accessed, and we wanted to be able to map reported bee health anddisease outbreaks as they were discovered in real-time.
In 2020, we revamped the app, which as usual, proved to be amuch bigger job than anticipated. Atfirst glance, BHG KS may seem to be the same. Our users like the straightforward, one-button, semi-automated functionsof the app. We incorporated the upgradesin a manner that would not require re-learning the app. The result is an app that looks much the same but with thesefunctional changes: (1) Users can still go back to access their inspectionreports and make changes, such as entering the results of a mite wash, beforeuploading their recordings and inspections, (2) following a Cloud upload,copies of the inspection reports are retained on the phone, and (3) these can be accessed under the newHistory button that has been added to the app’s Home page.
In addition to a History button, we have added (4) a Globalbutton to the app’s Home page. This is our gateway to map and follow colony health and pest and disease outbreaks inreal-time based on the colony inspection reports. It is similar to the USA’s COVID-19 maps withdaily posts of new cases, old cases, numbers of deaths, and numbers vaccinatedby state. Our app maps eightfactors: (1) Queen status, (2) Varroa Mite Levels, (3) Suspected AfricanizedBees, (4) Small Hive Beetle Levels, (5) American Foul Brood levels, (6) Nosemaceranae levels – requires a microscope, (7) Failing Colonies, and (8) Normal,apparently healthy, colonies.
Unlike most colony health surveys, these maps are based onuser observations by hive, date, and time. The app only maps those factors for which a user completes an inspectionreport (e.g., mite levels). The app includes drop-down Help that guides the user inidentifying and standardizing the ranking of colony health factors. To access colony inspection Help, simply press the ?Button. The app uses the smartphone’sclock and GPS to establish each hive's time of sampling and location. We can follow the data down to the apiary GPSlevel. The users of our app will see theresults published by regions. We do thispurposely to protect the confidentiality of each user’s data. The user can use the Global button menu toestablish a month and year date range for displaying any or all of the eightreportable health factors.
For 2021, we still ask that individuals and beekeepinggroups continue helping us in calibrating the app. We have a microphone that we recommend andask everyone to use. An externalmicrophone can be inserted nearer the center of the colony population clusterto improve the strength of the colony sounds versus external noises. Itstandardizes the quality of the microphone. We want recordings from near the center of the bottom of the cluster,made during the day when bees are actively foraging, and we ask that users gentlyinsert the microphone and wait for the bees to calm down before pushing therecord button.
We need inspection reports – uploaded recordings, and appanalyses are useless to us if we do not receive inspection reports. We use these reports to find the recordingsthat the app analysis got right from wrong. We then use these to re-train our algorithms. A user does not need to inspect for every healthcondition. We can use reports forspecific factors like mites. But we askthat the user, if they have more than one colony, also upload inspectionreports from their colonies in similar hives that do not exhibit theproblem. This will allow us to adjustour calibrations to things such as the type of hive (e.g., wood versus plastic,screened bottom boards versus standard bases).
Users should feel free to use the app for their own colonymanagement. There is no requirement toupload recordings and inspection reports, but we hope everyone will. Once reports are saved, uploading is as easy as the press of one button. However, please do not upload recordings, analyses,and reports for which no colony inspection has been made.
BHG KS builds on over a decade of US federal agency-sponsoredresearch. The app, its calibration, anduser-requested modifications are supported by donations from our communityscience participants. To join ourprogram, please go to www.beehealth.guru. For 2021, we have added instruction manualsas online and downloadable PDF files. Weintend to add training videos, and we will be offering periodic zoom meetings totalk directly to users.
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