Bee Trap
The Project
During COVID as an attempt to find something to do my father set up a challenge for me and my friends. We were assigned to create a way to solve a practical problem near us.
My Approach
I was looking everywhere for ideas, and my friend had recently started beekeeping and was having issues with her hives swarming. While setting out traps to catch them can help, sometimes they will only stay in these temporarily, and checking them everyday isn’t always an option. Having something that would let you know when there was a swarm there would be a great advantage. To start off I needed a way to know that there was something there, so I programmed an Arduino with a motion sensor that would turn on every 5 hours. In Addition I programmed a heat sensor that would do the same, as swarms tend to give off lots of heat, and to prevent it accidentally going off due to leaves getting in or the like.
Bumps in the road
I unfortunately ran into a few issues. How to get the message to the beekeeper, how to ensure the swarm was staying, and how to power it. I solved the first by programming and attaching an antennae and sim card, so that when both the sensors went off a text would be sent to the keeper. This message could be customized however liked. To solve the second issue I programmed the sensors to only go off every 5 hours unless they sense something, if they did then they would go off again in 10 minutes to ensure it wasn’t a false positive. At that point it would send the message. For the third issue I originally considered a battery, then realized it may cause issues trying to replace it due to bee traps being hung high in a tree. Instead I connected the trap to a Solar powered battery pack, allowing it to recharge on its own.
Finished Product
The final trap was installed about 15 feet in the air, with the bait inside. The electronics were placed inside a takeout container with a clear top so the lights could be seen while protected from the elements. the sensors were mounted inside the trap through a hole in the side. The trap unfortunately did not catch anything as my friends bees stopped swarming, but through testing we did register that it worked.
Lessons Learned
I had never before done any programming and this taught me quite a bit about it. It also allowed me to make something practical that could be used for a common problem.