Low-power, long-range system for monitoring environmental variables in an experimental bee colony (Apis mellifera) associated with the presence of the parasite Varroa destructor, with IoT support.

Abstract

The invention consists of a long-range, low-power IoT node installed in an experimental beehive, which allows for remote monitoring of the beehive's environmental conditions. This is done to collect environmental data related to the presence of the Varroa destructor mite. The IoT node sends data on relative humidity, temperature, CO2, and barometric pressure from the beehive to a multi-protocol gateway with LPWAN / LoRaWAN connectivity support, so that this data can be transmitted to the public cloud. A method is developed for retrieving, monitoring, storing, and managing the aforementioned data from the public cloud to a database located in a private cloud. The RSSI signal strength levels obtained from the packets received by the IoT gateway from the node located in the beehive are also included.Data is generated from the IoT node, redirected from the Gateway to the public cloud, and subsequently stored in the private cloud, enabling its analysis. The IoT prototype is protected from environmental conditions by an IP67 enclosure, from which a harness extends. The final section of this harness is 3D printed and consists of two parts. An antenna for LoRaWAN connection also extends from the enclosure. The harness carries the necessary wiring and sensors to monitor environmental variables inside the experimental honeybee (Apis mellifera) hive. The harness is inserted through two holes drilled beneath the hive, which is positioned on a small table. Two sensors are integrated into the 3D-printed section of the harness for the inside of the hive: one for humidity and temperature, and another for infrared CO2. Outside the hive, another sensor is screwed onto the harness to measure external humidity and temperature.A microcontroller is added to the IP67 enclosure, to which an environmental shield is connected. This shield integrates a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a barometric pressure sensor. The prototype as a whole allows for monitoring both the environmental conditions inside and outside the hive, as well as the environmental conditions in which the microcontroller is operating within the IP67 enclosure. An antenna extends from the IP67 enclosure, transmitting data via a LoRaWAN signal with SF7 to SF12 dispersion factor. This signal is received by a multiprotocol gateway that supports LoRaWAN, WiFi, LGTE, GSM, and Ethernet connectivity. Raw data is sent to the public cloud via LoRaWAN, and from there, data is retrieved via MQTT to the private cloud as needed. A monitoring dashboard is created to visualize the data.The system's operation is controlled by the corresponding microcontroller programming.