New app to Canada helps connect farmers and beekeepers
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
A new mobile app hopes to help farmers and beekeepers communicate more efficiently and more often.
BeeConnected, developed by CropLife Australia and the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council allows farmers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators to discuss practices aimed at protecting pollinators.
CropLife Canada and the Canadian Honey Council are using their resources to bring the app to Canada.
In an email announcing the app’s arrival, Pierre Petelle, CropLife Canada vice-president, chemistry, said industry professionals have opined that a better communication avenue “could go a long way to keep Canada’s honeybees healthy.”
How does it work?
After downloading the app for free for their Apple or Android device, or by using its web platform, users register and identify themselves as either a beekeeper, farmer or pesticide applicator.
Users can then input scheduled agricultural activities or specific beehive locations that’s only shared with relevant users in the same geographic area.
When a farmer inputs that on a specific day they’ll be spraying or planting treated seeds, beekeepers who are registered with the app and are within five kilometres will receive a notification.
Farmers and beekeepers can enter the locations of bee yards and fields and record information relevant to their activities. The app also has instant messaging capabilities to allow for real-time communication between farmers and beekeepers.
Join the discussion and tell us if BeeConnected is something you’d consider using this planting season.
For more mobile apps, visit the Farms.com apps page.