Most of us have heard that the world’s bees are in grave danger, but fewer are acquainted with one of their greatest nemeses – the Varroa mite, a parasite that U.S. beekeepers said accounted for the bulk of colony loss over winter 2020 to 2021. Beewise’s AI-powered BeeHome 4 is a hive that uses a new chemical-free heat treatment to fight off mites. The hives, available next year, boast robotic tech that monitors and optimizes conditions 24/7, reducing human beekeeping labor by roughly 90%. Beewise CEO Saar Safra says the company prefers to measure revenue in the number of bee lives saved: “Twelve for every dollar we make.”
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