Bee Hive Health: Developing Real-Time Monitoring Solutions

Advance Science Ltd. is based in Connemara in the West of Ireland, one of the most scenic areas in Europe, as well as having offices located in the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). The company is committed to safely improving bee health worldwide and making new technologies available to beekeepers. Its goal is to create a more sustainable future for bees and pollinators. The company has a clear research focus and strives to provide innovative, effective, and practical solutions that are cost-competitive for the beekeeping industry. The company is focusing on the areas of disease, nutrition, and gut health.

The Bee Hive Health Project drew on the expertise of MiCRA Biodiagnostics in the R&D of bio- and electrochemical sensors. The project partners outlined an ambitious programme to design and engineer sensor technology to facilitate detection and differentiation between specified target entities – or biological markers of the health of the beehive. They sought to develop a solution capable of performing with high analytical sensitivity and low time-to-result.

A variety of chemical analysis techniques were validated for their detection capabilities including molecule differentiation and concentration dependence for the relevant signaling molecules. The research led to the development of prototype sensors and incorporated testing of early-stage prototypes in a live beehive environment.

We were delighted with the outcome of this short turn-around research engagement. The results achieved went beyond our expectations and vastly exceeded the initial scope and objectives of the project. We are excited at the possibilities and look forward to further advancing these concepts under future research collaborations with the team at MiCRA.

Dara Scott - Managing Director, Advance Science