Best for Bees won the Innovation Award at the 48th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress
KITCHENER, ON | October 11, 2023 – A Canadian leader in beekeeping innovation received a silver medal at the World Beekeeping Awards in Chile last month.
Best for Bees, a startup focused on improving bee health and practices for beekeepers and building the world’s largest database on bee health, was awarded the silver medal in Innovation for the ProtectaBEE™ at the 48th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress. Apimondia is the world’s largest bee congress, bringing together more than 3,800 people from nearly 50 countries across the globe. The congress encourages scientists, specialists and beekeepers to connect at a biannual international event, where stakeholders discuss sustainable practices, land use, biodiversity, innovation and more.
“It’s such an honour to receive this award and the international recognition for our work on the ProtectaBEE,” says Dr. Erica Shelley, founder of Best for Bees. “I had a wonderful time connecting with other beekeepers and innovators in Chile and working towards our new global data collection project. The trip was even more special with the announcement of this award. It reinforces the value of our work promoting beekeepers helping beekeepers.”
Traveling to Apimondia in Chile allowed the Best for Bees team to network with other beekeepers, industry leaders and launch the Big Bee Data Movement,which will be the world’s largest beekeeping database. The Best for Bees team is looking forward to collecting data from across the globe, integrating AI to move towards predictive beekeeping for improving bee outcomes that will make a significant impact on our climate and food supply.
“Losing up to 50 percent of beehives every year is a huge threat to our food security. By bringing beekeepers together to collect data, and integrating AI, we can move faster than ever to improve bee outcomes. ” says Shelley. “Collecting and studying this data will allow beekeepers to quickly adapt to pests, diseases, and climate events to help our bee populations flourish.”
The silver medal in Innovation with General Beekeeping Interest was presented to Best for Bees for ProtectaBEE, a hive entrance used for honeybee protection. ProtectaBEE was developed for bee vectoring in 2020 in collaboration with Dr. Peter Kevan at the University of Guelph. The system has over 10 practical beekeeping uses, including the precise and strategic introduction of essential substances into beehives, along with protection for bee populations from wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets.
“ProtectaBEE is an all-in-one innovative system for keeping bees safe and healthy,” says Shelley. “ProtectaBEE allows beekeepers to protect their hives, combat threats, and maintain their colonies. We’re developing several new products to integrate with the ProtectaBEE to continue improving honeybee survival rates.”
Bees and beekeepers play a vital role in maintaining a healthy environment. Pollinators have a significant impact on food security and provide livelihoods for producers across the globe. A study by the United Nations found that one-third of the world’s food production depends on pollinators like bees. Producers and beekeepers face constant threats to their populations and hives, which could have catastrophic effects on our future climate. These threats include habitat loss, changes in weather and intensive farming practices. The bee population is declining, which poses a significant threat to plants necessary for human and animal life. Best for Bees is committed to providing innovative solutions to keep bees safe and healthy around the world.
Best for Bees was also awarded a bronze medal for their booth at Apimondia.
ABOUT BEST FOR BEES
Best for Bees is a research and development company focused on revolutionizing the way individuals nurture and safeguard their bees. In 2020, Best for Bees partnered with the University of Guelph to develop ProtectaBEE, an all-in-one hive entrance offering protection, bee vectoring and more. Best for Bees recently launched the Big Bee Data Movement, the world’s largest beekeeping database. Since launching in 2010, Best for Bees has worked with beekeepers, researchers, industry and farmers to improve bee health, making beekeeping easier and saving the world’s bees, one hive at a time.
This post originally appeared on TechToday.