Episode 173 – Building a Hive Monitoring System: Sensors, Heat Maps, and Real Data 🖥️🐝

Every beekeeper wonders how their colonies are doing in the middle of winter. Are they clustered? Do they have enough food? Is it safe to open the hive? In this episode, I walk through the new project I have been teasing for months, a hive monitoring system that uses temperature probes, humidity sensors, and data collectors to create real-time heat maps of the winter cluster. This is a non-invasive way to track your bees and generate actionable data for better overwintering decisions.

What’s Inside This Episode:

Why traditional “knock tests” and quick hive peeks fall shortUsing 18–20 temperature probes per hive to locate the clusterESP32 boards, Raspberry Pi collectors, and open source toolsHow heat maps and playback show cluster movement over timeTesting phases: hardware build, power integration, garage trials, full yard deploymentAdding heat strips to simulate cluster movement for controlled experimentsIntegrating insulation tests and measuring power to honey conversionFuture expansions like weight sensors and even drone based data retrieval

Why Listen to This Episode?

This project combines beekeeping with technology, giving you a way to see what really happens inside your hives during the cold months. Whether you want to build your own system or just follow along, you will come away with new insights into how bees survive winter.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 600,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

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