Chiayi County Promotes Smart Beehives, Saving Inspection Time and Increasing Honey Yield by 10%

(Central News Agency reporter Tsai Chih-ming, Chiayi County, June 13) Chiayi County is promoting smart agriculture through the implementation of smart beehives. Currently, eight beekeeping households have successfully adopted the system, saving approximately six hours of inspection time per week and increasing honey yield by an average of 10%. This has improved operational efficiency and management accuracy. According to the Department of Agriculture, most of the beekeepers who have adopted the system are consistent winners in honey quality evaluations.

Hsu Chang-min, Director of the Chiayi County Department of Agriculture, told the Central News Agency that in traditional beekeeping, beekeepers had to frequently open beehives and inspect each frame individually to monitor honey production. Now, this is no longer necessary. A scale installed beneath the hive transmits data to a smartphone, allowing real-time monitoring of honey accumulation. Beekeepers now only need to open the hive when it is time to harvest.

Hsu noted that beekeepers using smart management systems not only reduce production costs but also consistently win top awards in Chiayi County’s honey quality evaluations.

Lee Chiu-ying, Section Chief of the Department of Agriculture’s Crop Division, cited the example of beekeeper Ho Kuan-hsun from Meishan Township, who manages approximately 280 beehives. After installing a dedicated apiary weather station and a smart beehive sensor system, he can now monitor hive temperature, humidity, weight, and environmental changes in real time via smartphone. This enables remote monitoring of bee colony health and food reserves.

Lee stated that Ho previously had to inspect each hive individually to assess conditions. Now, he can instantly detect anomalies through data and respond proactively, saving about six hours of inspection time per week and increasing honey yield by an average of 10%. He can also accurately determine the optimal honey harvesting time, significantly improving operational efficiency and management precision. This year, Ho won the top prize in the Chiayi County Domestic Longan Honey Quality Evaluation.

Lee added that Chiayi County is a major beekeeping region in Taiwan. The county government aims to attract more young people to the industry by promoting modular smart beehive systems, gradually building a modern beekeeping model that is intelligent, resilient, and sustainable. Currently, eight beekeepers have successfully implemented smart beehives, and another 27 have completed training. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150613