Launch NZ Innovation profile: Hivesite

Date: 07.08.2020

The team of Waikato-based inventors behind Hivesite scooped the awards pool at the recent 2020 Fieldays Online Innovation Awards

Hivesite won both the Grassroots Prototype Award and the James & Wells Innovation Award with its in-beehive autonomous, chemical-free, thermal treatment for Varroa mite.

Hivesite team with awards

Varroa infection of beehives leads to colony collapse and is a growing global problem. Pesticides impact bee productivity and should be avoided during the honey flow, plus there’s a labour cost involved in their application.

For Hivesite’s Grassroots Prototype Award, judges’ comments were: "We were impressed by the use of technology to enable an efficient and innovative and self-contained system that uses heat to kill Varroa without the need of chemicals. The product has been proven in field trials and we liked the sensible decisions related to essential and non-essential functionality and add-ons that will increase the likelihood of a successful commercial product."

Hivesite in action

Regarding the James & Wells Innovation Award win, judge and patent attorney at James & Wells, Jason Tuck, said: "As well as providing a non-chemical approach to addressing the Varroa mite problem ­– a critical issue for apiarists both home and abroad – I was impressed by the potential for added-value through applications enabled by the technology, which extended beyond the core purpose. Hivesite also demonstrated an awareness of the IP in their offering and the need to secure ownership as part of their business strategy."

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