About
Hiveeyes is an open source, DIY beehive monitoring infrastructure platform developed by a community of beekeepers from Berlin. It integrates affordable, low-power hardware with wireless telemetry and a modern software stack to enable continuous, non-invasive hive monitoring without disturbing bee colonies. The core architecture pairs Arduino-based microcontrollers and sensors with multiple transport protocols—MQTT, HTTP, and GPRS/radio—making it viable for apiaries with or without reliable internet connectivity. On the backend, Eclipse Mosquitto handles MQTT message brokering, Kotori serves as the multi-channel data acquisition engine, InfluxDB stores time-series sensor readings, and Grafana renders live dashboards. MongoDB provides document storage while mqttwarn enables configurable push notifications, including swarm-alarm alerts. The platform is fully self-hostable and can run on a Raspberry Pi or similar SoC, eliminating vendor lock-in entirely. It also offers a shared hosted instance at swarm.hiveeyes.org for users who prefer a managed experience. A multi-tenant architecture lets beekeeping cooperatives and research groups share infrastructure while keeping data isolated per user. All components—from embedded firmware and BERadio telemetry protocol to the Kotori backend—are released on GitHub under open licenses (GNU GPL, AGPL, CERN OHL). Hiveeyes is ideal for hobbyist beekeepers, agricultural researchers, open hardware enthusiasts, and anyone who wants complete ownership of their sensor data without relying on commercial IoT platforms.
Key Features
- Wireless Multi-Protocol Telemetry: Transmits sensor data over MQTT, HTTP, and GPRS/radio, supporting remote apiaries with or without reliable internet access.
- Real-Time Grafana Dashboards: Live visualization of hive weight, temperature, humidity, and other sensor metrics through feature-rich, customizable Grafana dashboards.
- Fully Self-Hosted Stack: Runs entirely on your own hardware—including a Raspberry Pi—with no dependency on any third-party cloud service or vendor.
- Multi-Tenant Community Architecture: Supports beekeeping cooperatives and research groups of any size, with per-user data isolation on a shared infrastructure.
- Swarm & Event Notifications: mqttwarn-powered pluggable notification system sends swarm-alarm and custom alerts based on sensor threshold triggers.
Use Cases
- Monitoring beehive weight in real time to detect swarming events and determine optimal honey harvest timing
- Tracking internal hive temperature and humidity trends to assess colony health and winter cluster behavior
- Running a shared beekeeping cooperative or research collective on a multi-tenant Hiveeyes infrastructure
- Conducting scientific studies on bee colony dynamics using continuous, timestamped sensor data stored in InfluxDB
- Building low-cost, off-grid IoT sensor networks for remote apiaries using GPRS radio telemetry and Arduino hardware
Pros
- Fully Open Source & Auditable: Every layer—firmware, telemetry protocol, and backend—is released on GitHub under GPL, AGPL, and CERN OHL licenses, giving users complete transparency and control.
- No Vendor Lock-In: The entire stack is self-contained and can run offline on a Raspberry Pi, making it immune to service shutdowns or subscription price changes.
- Flexible Hardware Support: Modular Arduino-based design accommodates a wide range of sensors and radio modules, letting users tailor hardware to their specific apiary setup.
- Active Beekeeper Community: Backed by a collaborative community meeting regularly since 2014, providing forums, documentation, and ongoing hardware/software iterations.
Cons
- Steep Technical Setup: Deploying the full stack requires familiarity with Arduino programming, Linux server administration, MQTT configuration, and Docker or manual service orchestration.
- DIY Hardware Assembly Required: There is no ready-made commercial product; users must source components, solder sensors, and flash firmware themselves.
- Sparse Beginner Documentation: Documentation is thorough for technically proficient users but can be challenging for beekeepers without a software or electronics background.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hiveeyes Project?
Hiveeyes is an open source, DIY beehive monitoring platform created by Berlin beekeepers. It combines low-cost Arduino hardware with wireless telemetry and a modern backend (MQTT, InfluxDB, Grafana) to give beekeepers real-time data on hive health.
Can I run Hiveeyes entirely on my own hardware?
Yes. The full stack—Mosquitto, Kotori, InfluxDB, Grafana, and MongoDB—runs self-contained on a Raspberry Pi or similar SoC. No external cloud service is needed at any point.
Is there a hosted version I can use without self-hosting?
Yes, the Hiveeyes community operates a shared hosted platform at swarm.hiveeyes.org that you can use to get started before committing to a self-hosted installation.
What sensors and data can Hiveeyes monitor?
Common setups monitor hive weight (to detect swarming or honey surplus), internal temperature and humidity, and acoustic signatures. Any sensor compatible with Arduino can be integrated with custom firmware.
What radio and connectivity options are supported?
Hiveeyes supports MQTT over WiFi/LAN, HTTP, and long-range GPRS/radio transports via BERadio, making it suitable for apiaries in urban, rural, or off-grid locations.
