The popular Netflix show, Black Mirror was originally set in the UK, and it explores how future technology could evolve, and then applies the most horror-based twist to it. In Season 3 Episode 6, Hated in the Nation, electronic beehives are used to save a dying planet, but they are also used to perform assassinations like a swarm of tiny drones. While this sounds like science-fiction, there is a kernel of truth.
The Mobile Robotic Systems Group, and the Hiveopolis project at Austria’s University of Graz, has a joint-research project that developed an electronic beehive (known as a ‘biohybrid superorganism’) to help study bees during Winter months. Winter observation can be harmful to the colony, even modern hives built with observation windows are at risk as mold and moisture are the biggest enemies. Once mold slips between into the hive, it will proceed to eat the dormant colony, and cause a collapse. However, this new electronic hive can observe the bees without any kind of modification or disruption to the hive. As a result, the team has reported insect behavior that has never been observed before.
The main goal of the hive is to observe bees, but the new findings may be able to prevent colony collapse disorder from continuing to spread. The research team found that they were able to "prolong the survival of a colony following the death of its queen by distributing heat energy..." Bees themselves are delicate and smart insects, and have displayed cognitive abilities like differentiating between smells, kinds of color, light, and more. The EPFL reported that merely getting the bees to accept the hive was something to overcome. As the environment continues to change, overall beehive numbers continue to decline, and colony collapse disorder continues to rise. According to the Department of Agriculture, the average loss of a colony is 30%.
It is no wonder we are now trying to develop new technology to save bees. The hive developed by the joint-research is not only promising, but exciting. With new behaviors being observed, and colonies being saved, the technological potential is promising. At the very least, it opens up doors for research, as bees are able to do so much more than once thought.