While honeybees are important to ensure a rich food supply all year round, bee populations are a major problem.
More than a third of the crops we eat are pollinated by bees, but 40% of honeybee colonies collapse every year, said California-based Beewise.
One reason is climate change. Specifically, stronger hurricanes, more frequent fires, and more pesticide use.
Wooden beehives were invented around 1850 for commercial pollination, but these basic boxes are less protective and are not grown at all.
Startup Beewise takes on the traditional bee hive in AI and robotics. The company invented Beehome, an AI-oriented beehive and robot that growers can rent.
“Robot beehives are essentially like traditional beehives. It uses the same frame, the same beehives because it is completely backward compatible. These robot beehives live in, and in that robot beehive, there are cameras that monitor bees.
The camera connects to AI software that monitors individual bees and identifies their needs. The robotic devices can treat bees according to their characteristics.
“Therefore, if there is not enough food in the hive, there is a food container in this robot’s beehive, and the robot will feed the bees. There will be the same thing, temperature control, too cold, too warm, too stormy.
Last year, Hurricane Helen and Milton damaged or destroyed thousands of commercial beehives in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina alone.
B-Home costs roughly the same as traditional wooden beehives, robotically managing up to 10 hives each, saving growers on labor costs. Next-generation products can dramatically expand it. This is a particularly attractive feature for investors.
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said John Cudded, co-founder and general partner of Corner Ventures.
Safra said Be-Home will result in 70% lower Be-Colony loss and healthy nest boxes. There are already thousands of behaviors in this field. Safra said the growth of revenue, devices and customers is enormous, with devices seeing gross profit of 40%.
In addition to Corner Ventures, Beewise is supported by Insight Partners, Fortissimo, Lool Ventures, and APG. Total funding so far is $170 million.
CNBC producer Lisa Rizzolo contributed to this work.
