Bees
Actual witnesses to the health of our environment, bees play a vital role in maintaining plant biodiversity. Without pollinating insects, more than 70% of the plant species grown for our food (including almost all fruits, vegetables, oilseeds and protein crops, spices, coffee and cocoa) would be threatened.
The grape growing does not require pollination, and yet more and more winegrowers have decided to install some beehives in their vineyard. In an effort to preserve all the beneficial insects that contribute to the balance of the ecosystem, they have chosen to practice an environmentally friendly viticulture, which starts with the removal of all the most harmful insecticides and fungicides for bees. Some winegrowers create preserved areas where they find many resources: natural grass often rich in Diplotaxis (white flower), the grassed end of the rows, ditches and hedgerows that surround the vineyards are all potentially attractive environments.
In early 2018, two connected scales were installed on beehives. The goal: to know the hours of nectar gathering of the bees to improve the good practices to follow regarding vineyard treatments.
Connected scales are placed under a hive to remotely track changes in weight during the spring and summer seasons. The weight tracking allows to know the hours of presence of the bees in the hives.
The study of these connected scales can inform both the beekeeper and the winegrower on the evolution of an entire colony (about thirty beehives).
For the beekeeper, this allows him to:
- Remotely follow the production, and to be able to take action in due time.
- Detect possible problems (eg: weight loss that could translate a bee mortality or infertility of the queen ...)
For the winegrower, he can adapt his farming practices while respecting Ardèche biodiversity.
Proof that viticulture and apiculturism can cohabit in harmony!
Some numbers
Every day, only 1 bee forages up to 700 flowers
For 500gr of honey, 1 bee would forage more than 8 million flowers
3km, this is the radius of action of a bee
80% of blossoming plants depend on the pollination of bees
The protection of our environment
Ardèche Par Nature© also means protecting our resources beyond the vineyard.
