Skip to main content

Brilliant new beehive harnesses solar energy to exterminate the colony’s worst enemy

An innovative new beehive design –launched via an Indiegogo campaign– might just be the solution we need to relieve, or even end, colony collapse disorder in bees. Abandoning chemicals and harnessing the power of Mother Nature herself, the Thermosolar Hive aims to target one of the honeybee’s worst enemies – Varroa destructor mites

Varroa destructor mites are just as devastating as they sound. Many experts claim the Varroa mite is the most significant factor in colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon which has caused honeybee populations to plummet across the globe.

Recommended Videos

The tiny parasites latch onto both bees and broods, and suck the living life out of them. Infected broods often mature with deformed or missing limbs and wings. Once the mites are attached, they’re nearly impossible to eradicate without also destroying hives, placing infected colonies into quarantine, and delaying seasonal pollination. The Varroa mites’ tendency to transfer from bee to bee and hive to hive makes containment even more complicated.

Thermosolar Hive: healthy bees & healthy honey

And while pesticides can often treat bees for Varroa mites, the chemicals come at a price. Not only do hives have to be shut down for keepers to administer the chemicals, but sometimes, mites can actually become resistant to the pesticides.

To circumvent these issues, the cleverly-designed Thermosolar Hive leverages the power of the sun to increase the heat in the hive to a temperature that bees can withstand but Varroa mites cannot. The hive’s cretor, Roman Linhart, also boasts that it won’t significantly interrupt pollination and won’t run the risk of mutating mites

Linhart told Digital Trends he was inspired to design the hive after noticing that a colony of bees above his local convenience store were unaffected by mites. Linhart studied the bees and found nothing unusual about them, except where their hive was located — under a tin roof.

“The idea hit me in a very hot summer day,” he said, “temperature has long been known to reliably kill the mites!” This heat makes it nearly impossible for mites to take up residence in the hive, and it steers them away without the help of any harsh pesticides.

After the epiphany, Linhart began a journey of trial and error. “Our work took so long because we have tested it in different areas like high mountains, lowlands, cities, or regions with very hot summer,” he said. One of the project’s biggest obstacles was finding a reliable supplier to craft quality hives. “Quality is crucial,” Linhart said. “Without high quality materials used and a most precise production, the hive cannot reach and maintain the temperature necessary for varroa elimination.” Linhart and his team have since found a hive supplier they’re pleased with.

But suppliers weren’t the only issue. Apparently, chemical companies and bee breeders weren’t overly enthusiastic about a hive design that might put them out of business. “There were some problems with company producing chemicals for varroa treatment and some with people who are trying to breed varroa-tolerant bees,” Linhart said. “They were not very happy to see that something like our hive can disrupt their business. But we got over it.”

The Thermosolar Hive only exists in prototype form at this point, but if its creators can raise $20,000 over the course of the next month, they’ll have enough to bring their design into production. Assuming that they hit that mark, and barring any hiccups in the manufacturing process, the creators expect to begin shipping to backers sometime around January or February of 2017.

Dyllan Furness
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Dyllan Furness is a freelance writer from Florida. He covers strange science and emerging tech for Digital Trends, focusing…
A Complete Unknown: Timothée Chalamet talks the importance of Bob Dylan and live music
A woman holds onto a man as they look up.

When they set out to make a movie about Bob Dylan, it was clear to every creative involved that the songs had to be performed live. Even Timothée Chalamet, the actor playing Dylan, agreed.

"It was important for me to sing and play it on set because it was in the spirit of the movie to do it live," Chalamet said in a featurette about A Complete Unknown. To do this, Chalamet needed to emulate Dylan as a performer, from his vocals and stage presence to his guitar playing and harmonica abilities.

Read more
Robotaxi aside, a $25,000 EV would be pointless, Tesla CEO says
Blue Tesla Model 3 Highland on the road

Enthusiasts expecting to one day put their hands on the steering wheel of a $25,000 Tesla EV may feel like they’ve been taken for a ride.
CEO Elon Musk has just put a serious damper on those expectations, saying that outside of the driverless Robotaxi recently unveiled by Tesla, a regular $25,000 model would be “pointless” and “silly.”
During a conference call with investors, Musk was asked to clarify whether such a model was in the works.
"Basically, having a regular $25K model is pointless,” Musk said. “It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe." Tesla, Musk continued, has “been very clear that the future is autonomous.”
On October 10, Tesla unveiled its much-awaited robotaxi, called the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The company also unveiled the Robovan, a much larger autonomous vehicle expected to carry people or goods.
The automaker said the Cybercab is expected to be produced in 2026 and cost $30,000. Musk, meanwhile, said that it would be a $25,000 car without specifying if that price tag included federal tax credits.
Tesla’s ambiguity about an affordable entry-level model has been going on for years. In 2020, Musk signaled that a $25,000 Tesla would arrive within three years. It was later reported that Tesla had ditched the idea, instead favoring the development of a robotaxi.
Language within Tesla’s latest financial report still hints that new affordable Tesla models are on the way. But Musk’s latest comments are putting a floor on just how affordable these would be. So far, Tesla’s Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive remains the company’s cheapest model, with a base price of $38,990.
Some rival EV makers, meanwhile, are entering the affordable space more aggressively in the U.S.
General Motors has already put out its Chevy Equinox EV at a price of $27,500, including federal tax credits. Volkswagen America says it plans to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.

Read more
Stellantis’ 2027 Dodge Charger Daytona might feature solid-state battery tech
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona sedan.

The battle to use cheaper, more efficient, and safer EV batteries is heating up among automakers. At the heart of this battle, the development of solid-state battery technology, an alternative to highly flammable and costly lithium batteries, is garnering more and more attention.For proof, Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker, is betting on the technology for its next generation of electric vehicles. The Netherlands-based company announced that it will launch a demonstration fleet of Dodge Charger Daytona EVs that will feature solid-state battery tech made by U.S. startup Factorial.The demo fleet, expected to launch by 2026, will provide a real-world assessment of Factorial’s technology. Factorial has been partnering with Stellantis since 2021 and is also partnering with the likes of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai.Besides Dodge, the technology would eventually be deployed on the Stellantis STLA Large multi-energy platform, which includes brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati.Stellantis said that the integration of solid-state battery technology will yield “improved performance, longer driving ranges, and faster charging times in the coming years.”Factorial, meanwhile, says its technology provides higher energy density, reduced weight, improved performance, and the potential for further reduction in total vehicle cost over time. Stellantis, Daimler, and Hyundai aren’t the only ones to bet on solid-state battery tech. Toyota, the largest automaker in the world, has heavily invested in the technology. It also created a coalition with Nissan and Panasonic to boost its production in Japan. So far, making solid-state batteries has remained an expensive endeavor. But steps such as the Stellantis demo fleet and production at scale by the likes of Factorial are expected to improve manufacturing processes and costs over time.Other automakers, meanwhile, are working on ways to improve lithium batteries. Volkswagen, for one, is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.

Read more