We developed an artificial intelligence (AI) based detection device that can quickly and accurately diagnose the 'mite' problem, which is identified as a cause of bee colony deaths.
The Rural Development Administration and a professor team from Kangwon National University announced on the 20th that they have developed the AI-based real-time detection device 'BeeSion' for honey bee mites.
Honey bee mites are a type of mite that survive by parasitizing honey bees. They infest beehives, harming bee development and spreading diseases through viruses, leading to bee deaths.
According to the Rural Development Administration, 62% of bee colonies in the United States died last year. Major causes of bee deaths include climate change such as extreme cold and heat, along with infections from honey bee mites and the resulting spread of viruses.
Preventing bee deaths requires effective mite control, but the small size of the mites makes them very difficult to observe visually. It is said that a skilled beekeeper takes more than 30 minutes to conduct a thorough inspection of a single beehive.
To address this, the Rural Development Administration and the professor team developed a real-time detection device that can determine the presence of mites within 30 seconds by photographing the hive frame using AI technology.
This device can also analyze disease-infected bees, wing-deformed bees, larvae abnormalities, and pest and growth information in addition to mites. The Rural Development Administration noted that the mite analysis accuracy of BeeSion is about 97.8%.
A beekeeper involved in the on-site demonstration said, 'The detection of mites is quick and accurate,' and requested for prompt distribution.
The Rural Development Administration has completed the patent application for BeeSion. This year, it plans to transfer the technology to industry for full-scale product production. After field demonstrations, it plans to distribute the device to farmers starting in 2028.
'This is the first case of integrating beekeeping data, which relied on experience, with AI technology,' said Park Hye-seon, head of the agricultural biology department at the Rural Development Administration, adding, 'This will be a turning point for the automation of management and pest monitoring.'