Varroa mites reproduce and develop within brood cells. To distrupt the cycle of reproduction, Lifehive uses the approach of individually heated brood frames with thermal elements embedded directly into the foundations.
Each brood cycle, the frames containing capped brood are heated individually to 42°C (108 °F), over three-hour periods. This provides ample time and heat to destroy the Varroa offspring, putting a stop to the breeding cycle and inhibiting the growth of the mite population.
Lifehive brood chamber
Lifehive applies heat to the frames that are placed in the brood chamber of a hive. We deliver a standard sized Langstroth deep brood chamber, with special stainless steel clamps ensuring proper electronic contact, and lifting handles across all four sites.
Attached to the brood chamber is the control unit, containing the logic board and the battery.
7 Heatable frames
Each Lifehive is equipped with a set of 7 heatable frames. Each foundation contains a heating element for even heat distribution. To get the best results, beekeepers should place the 7 frames in the middle of the brood nest, keeping 2-3 regular frames on the outside for feed storage.
Power options
By default, Lifehive comes with a solar panel to connect to the control unit. The panel can be placed anywhere near the hive and will deliver sufficient power to run all treatments throughout the whole season.
Alternatively, the solar panel can be replaced by a plug connector to work with 110 V / 230 V grid.
Knowing that Varroa mites reproduce in capped cells, it is crucial to apply heat treatment to frames with a majority of their cells in such state. That is why we have developed AI-powered Algorithms to assess each frame’s content and only treat the frames with capped brood on them.
Individual frames are treated between 8-12 times over the course of a season. This ensures keeping mite levels low year-round, and even in the case of heavy reinfestation from neighbouring beekeeper’s colonies, your bees are kept safe from parasitic disturbance and viral developments.
“The hypothesis that the innovative heat treatment is efficient in suppressing mite levels below critical thresholds during the season was confirmed. These are encouraging results in establishing an alternative to adequately combat the major threat to honeybees worldwide.”
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