Connected weather station

A weather station is made up of several sensors that take regular measurements.

It can then communicate these measurements and reconstitute the precise and complete meteorological context of the site where it is located.

Collected data usually includes outdoor temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, precipitation, and wind speed and direction.

The weather station market has two segments:

Professional weather stations :

High level of meteorological connection that even meets the specifications of Météo-France.

The precision of these devices parallels those that cost thousands of euros.

Personal weather stations

The accuracy is not quite as precise but definitely sufficient if you’re not interested in feeding a forecasting algorithm.

The equipment is lighter and easier to install. Unfortunately, most manufacturers will offer weather stations connected to a screen by WiFi or 868MHz 

radio. This allows to have the information in the house next to the field, but it is not suitable for beekeepers.

The cost is between €150 and €500. BeeGuard’s weather station has been designed to operate and communicate completely autonomously for two or even three years.

You just have to install it close to the apiary and specify times for it to transmit data. Thus, the weather station is a transmitter that will be able to collect data from other sensors present on the hive, such as the hive scales, at the same time as the weather data.

A weather station provides accurate and essential data on the ultra-local weather context.

This is very important in beekeeping, as bees and the flowers they forage on are directly dependent on the climate. Without this context, the beekeeper cannot correctly interpret variations in bee activity.

Consider just a few examples:

Bees forage little or not at all below 14°C (57°F), or in strong winds, or when it is raining. This can be very disorienting. One cool, rainy period in May or June can lead to stress on hive food stocks just when, in theory, the beekeeper was expecting honey production.

The weather context not only impacts the bees, but also flowers: it reduces the amount of nectar they secrete. Indeed, some honeydews stop abruptly during the first rain. (The best-known example is the acacia honeydew), and so knowing whether it has actually rained or not in the vicinity of the apiary makes it possible to extend or shorten the presence of the hives on site.

Finally, correlated with other data such as hive weight and internal temperature, measurements provided by the weather station provide significant insight into how bees behave in relation to their direct environment. In a biomonitoring context, the usefulness is to be able to react to adapt the environment so that it’s as favorable as possible to bees’ development—and thus to that of all pollinating species.

Professional weather stations that meet the standards of measurement such as Météo-France cost several thousand euros.

The price of a personal weather station varies between €150 and €500, depending on its ability to communicate, its autonomy, and the various measurements it takes.

Each beekeeper needs a weather station adapted to their activity: ease of configuration and movability and a communication range sufficient to work at isolated apiaries.

This is what BeeGuard offers: a connected weather station at a price of €230 (excl. taxes) to buy (+ annual subscription of 36€ (excl. taxes), or in all-inclusive rental 9,5€/month (excl. taxes).

Many companies offer weather stations in different models and quality levels that can be found in stores or on the Internet, both on the manufacturer's site and on a "marketplace" site. But BeeGuard is the only manufacturer to offer a Weather Station designed and manufactured in France and adapted to beekeeping.

To acquire it, you just have to contact us by phone, by email, or on the contact form here on our website.

A weather station allows beekeepers to better understand the the colony’s environment.

This environment has a direct impact on honey production since some blooming depends on temperatures or rainfall. Thus, for bloomage which ends with the first rain (for example the burning bush or the acacia), beekeepers need to be able to react quickly in order to recover the supers and to move the hives that are no longer productive to another place—and thus continue honey production with other flowers.

On the other hand, if the local weather forecast announces rain, but in reality it doesn’t rain, the beekeeper will then be able to leave hives longer on the same site. This is a real time saver that can save several kilos of honey per colony!

Bees forage little or not at all below 14°C (57°F), or in strong winds, or when it is raining. This can be very disorienting. One cool, rainy period in May or June can lead to stress on hive food stocks just when, in theory, the beekeeper was expecting honey production.

Finally, contrary to popular belief, a hive weather station does not measure the temperature inside the hive. Its temperature sensor is not located inside but rather outside the colony.

The data weather stations collect is usually available via a dedicated app—either as a graph or as raw data.

BeeGuard’s app—in addition to optimized stock management for beekeeping and a digital breeding register—provides data for each apiary equipped with a weather station.

You’ll be able to explore meteorological data for all your apiaries, in detail and on a single, and then establish your own comparison. It’s adapted to all web browsers and all screen sizes.

Each beekeeper must choose weather stations according to their own needs, investment, and budget.

Regardless, you’ll need a sturdy device that can take the yearlong outdoor conditions—one with a strong autonomy so you won’t need to change the battery regularly or in the middle of a season, and one that’s easy to set up and transport for the moving period.

Don't forget: weather stations can be subject to theft, and beekeeper’s will typically install them far from their actual dwelling. Thus, you’ll want to be certain your weather station has a GPS locator. Finally, the best weather stations can share data about more than just the weather!

For example, a weather station that can transmit data from other sensors such as hive scales as well would be handy indeed for beekeepers. This is exactly what BeeGuard proposes. Its Weather Station is adapted to beekeeping, heavy-duty, and light. It touts a simple and fast installation on a stand and an autonomy up to four years.