A North East company is exporting its technology around the world as part of global efforts to protect bees.
Arnia, based in County Durham, produces beehive monitoring equipment that can track and record bee health and behaviour and send it on to beekeepers.
The firm, which launched in 2010, works internationally with governments, universities, farmers and beekeepers to protect bees against disease and invasive species.
Arnia has received the backing of the Department for International Trade, that helped fund a trip to the International Bee Research Conference, which led to the company working in New Zealand.
George Clouston, Arnia’s commercial director and beekeeper, said: “Bees are everywhere and essential to world food production, so protecting them and making sure they have the correct environment to thrive is essential across the globe.
“We are exporting our hive monitors to around 30 new markets, including New Zealand, Australia, China, the US and Canada, but we are also working with a number of organisations to help stop the decline of bee species.
“We’re collaborating with technology and beekeeping partners in Spain, Belgium and Greece to develop next generation hive monitoring technology as part of an EC funded research project called IoBee.”
Arnia’s technology allows hives to be monitored from anywhere in the world, on any device at any time and delivers alerts if anything changes within colonies. As well as helping maintain strong, productive and healthy bee colonies, it provides an insight to life inside a hive.
The firm also shares data and knowledge from its global network of monitored hives, which it continuously analyses to identify new health or behaviour signatures.
George added: “The more hives we monitor, the more we learn about bees. Our knowledge base provides example data, articles, videos and hints and tips about how to get the most from hive monitoring.”
Arnia was originally founded by electronics expert Huw Evans and his wife Sandra in 2010, and together they have helped grow the business to six employees, including an R&D department.
Julie Underwood, international trade director, said: “Arnia is not only a regional success story, it is also helping to change the world and educate people about the importance of this incredible creature to global ecology.
“It is incredibly exciting that this world-leading innovation is being developed right here in the North East and I am proud that we have been able to help the company carry its message overseas, while opening up some lucrative markets for their incredible products.”
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