Summary

Bees are a particularly important renewable biological resource contributing not only to honey production but also to pollination, which is vital for all food production. Today, millions of bee communities die every year because of Varroa mites, the deadliest honeybee pests. 

To reduce bee mortality and improve the health of bee communities, the BeeScanning app was developed by an EIP-AGRI Operational Group. BeeScanning uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) image analysis to detect Varroa mites. Beekeepers get infestation results together with recommended actions in a fast and user-friendly way using their smartphones. Healthy bees will generate value-added products through honey production and pollination. 

Results

The app offers a fast and user-friendly way of detecting Varroa mites in bee communities, without having to use the traditional methods that involve killing bees. No sophisticated equipment is needed since the technique is adapted for smartphones. 

The app is available for both iPhones and Androids and can be downloaded in 155 countries all over the world. In April 2019, the app had been downloaded 3 000 times with an average of 50 new users every week.