Faculty, students at CU Boulder work to save bees

BOULDER, Colo. -- The bee population decline in North America has been a concern for years. Now, a group out of the University of Colorado is working on technology that could help save the bees.

Hive Tech Solutions was chosen to be part of the Catalyze CU Boulder program to develop and expand their technology. The group of environmental design students and faculty members created a way to measure environmental factors inside a hive, including temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, and acoustics.  All of those things impact the bees' health.

"We know things like when hive temperature increases, there may be an issue with their health," says Hive Tech Solutions founder Kimberly Drennan. "We know that when humidity gets to a certain level, it’s outside of the optimal range. So what we’re  looking for is a lot of data to correlate to honeybee health."

The goal is to make their technology available to research institutions and beekeepers to better manage the health of the bees.  

Hive Tech Solutions was one of seven groups chosen for this summer's session of the Catalyze CU Boulder program. A spokesperson for Catalyze CU Boulder said the groups receive mentors, grants and space to develop their ideas on campus.