You have given us some great feedback that wireless scales is the way of the future, so we are now committed to this design and we have a clear path of how to get there.

But we need your help to make it a reality.

We have set up a kickstarter campaign to help us raise some funds to get the wireless scales to you along with a simpler and more cost effective satellite communication hub. The NZ Government are also backing this project.

There are also a load of stretch goals for this project that we hope we can reach, to bring some really useful other new features to the system, such as talking scales, doorway activity sensor, and a full hive health system.

This is also a great way for you to secure serious discounts on the new product, so have a look at the kickstarter for more detailed descriptions and the rewards on offer.

Help out and get your discount at http://hivemind.co.nz/kickstarter

The Patutahi Bee Boys, based in Gisborne New Zealand, recently sent us this fascinating chart showing a hive being robbed by wasps.  The beekeeper was able to add honey a few days later to keep the hive alive.

John McLean comments, "Wasps must have started their raid on April 9th, taking ~9 kg that day, and then returned the following day to to remove another 17 kg. You will note from the timeline given in the log that this activity starts around noon and is ended by 8 pm.

A particle board component had deteriorated which gave the wasps access to a 10cm wide slot near the roof of the hive. Paul has been able to make sure such potential entry points are checked for in other hives."

Thanks for sharing this information, guys. Keep up the good work!

If anyone else has tracked some interesting activity on their charts that they would be happy to share, please let us know.

We have two new faces join the team recently. 

Christian Walsh joins us from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to take up the role of CEO to help us scale up (shocking pun not originally intended, but we'll roll with it), and ensure we are keeping the beekeeper at the centre of what we do. He comments that "It's an exciting time to be joining the team with such a strong product roadmap, and a lot of interest from beekeepers I have spoken to already. I'm really looking forward to getting out and about as often as possible and learning as much as I can about this crucial industry".

 

The second new face is our facebook page: We would love to get your likes and comments. We'll be posting photos from the upcoming conferences and be keeping you up to date on the kickstarter progress and technical developments as they arrive. 

https://www.facebook.com/hivemind4bees