Precision Pollination to the Rescue

Reducing Pressure on Declining Honey Bee Populations

Pollination services in the United States are valued annually at more than a billion dollars. Roughly three out of every four crops in the world rely on pollinators to produce food that humans regularly consume. Bees alone account for approximately 75% of pollination. Beekeepers charge upwards of $200 per hive per week, and farmers shell out thousands to ensure high crop yields. The bee rental industry is beyond just lucrative; it's crucial to secure food systems across the globe. 

Honey bees are under heavy pressure as populations continue to decline, hitting an all-time low as we head into summer growing seasons. While farmers and beekeepers alike fear we may have already reached a point of no return, ag-tech companies believe robotics could come to the rescue, as could precision pollination. Though the United States is perhaps better positioned than other countries to financially invest in technical solutions to the problem of bee hive health, can tech truly preserve bees, maintain predictable crop yields for farmers, and often an economically viable solution?

Who Is Using Precision Pollination?

For over a decade, agriculture has been encouraged to find solutions to honey bee population declines. From investments in pollinator habitat development to alternative pest control methods to reliance on robotics and smart technology, farmers have made shifts that promote healthy bee hives and maintain crop yields. But farmers from all sectors face their own financial and logistical challenges when it comes to sinking money into innovative products and methods. Choosing the wrong technology or alternative pollination method could spell financial loss for farm families already working with high operation costs.  Yet, carrying on as if it could ensure healthy hive numbers continues to decrease to a disastrous level for farm incomes.

As it stands, only the largest and most financially stable farms are investing money in technology that aims to support ecosystem diversity, uses fewer chemicals known to harm bees, and falls under the category of precision pollination. Family farms grossing less than $350,000 a year have so far been less inclined to make expensive farm tech purchases. However, finances are not the only barrier to the type of precision technology that could provide real solutions to declining bee populations reaching farms. Remote farms with spotty internet service have been slow to adopt technology that requires them to be plugged into the grid round the clock. 

Pollination Technology on the Rise

Financial and logistical barriers are also typically industry-specific.  What works well for cherry trees might not be the best solution for the tomato industry. Apple orchards might have more wiggle room to test out technology, whereas the almond industry relies heavily on beehive rentals to ensure predictable yields. And, northern farms tend to face different weather and temperature obstacles to pollination than southern farms.

While there may never be a one-size-fits-all precision pollination solution that saves bees and guarantees predictable crop yields across all sectors of agriculture, two companies are presenting feasible solutions to common obstacles. Edete, a pollination service, has set its sights on California’s central valley as a launching point. And, BeeHero recently announced its new solar-powered HeroLink technology.

Edete’s pollination service is promising for farms hesitant to financially invest in technology they don’t know how to operate or maintain. Much like renting honey bee hives, Edete provides an end-to-end service where farmers have minimal involvement in the pollination process. Edete’s technology can extract and preserve pollen so that it can be administered at the optimal time.  Not only does the company provide and operate the technology, but it also saves farmers from being stuck with maintenance costs. The lower barrier to entry, plus the promise of optimal yields, should provide a more feasible solution for alternative pollination methods.

BeeHero aims to tackle a very real problem. Precision technology is only as good as its internet connectivity. HeroLink, the solar-powered multifrequency cellular antenna, can transmit data even without reception. The technology supports BeeHero’s precision pollination technology. The company hopes HeroLink will be the first ag-tech to bridge the gap between precision technology and rural farms that would otherwise be ill-equipped to adopt innovative solutions.

Exactly why bee populations are still in steady decline is elusive, and though neither Edete or HeroLink will save bees, these promising technologies could serve to take the pressure off of natural pollinators. They also make precision technology more accessible for the average farmer who needs both innovation and old methods to remain competitive.