Empowering Effective Beekeeping Through Machine Learning

PollenPal is a hardware and software solution designed for beekeepers, using computer vision and machine learning to deliver actionable insights that keep hives alive. Easy to install devices are mounted to the beehive entrance and use cameras and sound sensors to monitor for threats like varroa mites and invasive bee species that kill 50% of hives each year.

With solutions for both hobbyists and commercial farms, PollenPal helps beekeepers stay profitable through reduced colony losses and preserved honey and pollination revenue.

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The Beekeeping Crisis

The $13B+ beekeeping industry faces escalating threats that are devastating operations nationwide.

Varroa Mites

  • Latch onto bees and larvae, spreading deadly viruses and weakening hives undetected until collapse
  • Spread exponentially between colonies, with a single infected hive contaminating entire apiaries within weeks

Invasive Bee Species

  • Invasive Africanized ("killer") bees outcompete European bees for resources and nesting, displacing managed hives
  • Extremely aggressive behavior that can extend 100+ yards, making beekeeping near impossible
These threats cause 45%+ annual colony losses and over $635M in economic damages

Traditional commercial beehive management is manual, inefficient, and unscalable, resulting in high replacement costs and lost revenue from honey sales and pollination services. New hobbyist beekeepers struggle to keep hives alive due to lack of knowledge, losing $1,000+ in value from missed honey production and hive replacement costs.

How PollenPal Works

Our machine learning-powered hardware and software solution helps beekeepers manage their operations with ease and precision.

PollenPal Hardware
1

Hardware Actively Monitors

PollenPal device mounts to beehive entrance and uses camera and sound sensors to continuously monitor inbound traffic into the hive. Built for remote deployment with solar power and LTE connectivity, enabling 24/7 operation in any location without access to power outlets.

ML Detection
2

Machine Learning Algorithms Identify Threats

Computer vision and machine learning algorithms identify first signs of varroa mites and invasive bee behavior, detecting threats at 1-1.5mm scale with high accuracy.

Dashboard Alerts
3

Instant Alerts Enable Action

Beekeepers receive instant alerts through simple dashboards with real-time notifications and hive logs, enabling proactive action before threats spread.

Solutions for Every Beekeeper

Commercial Beekeeping

B2B Solution for Commercial Farms

  • Designed for remote deployment without access to power with a central solar and LTE node powering groups of devices
  • Serves as a hive activity and frame coverage monitor while hives are on the road, creating an audit trail of hive health
  • Supports easy hardware installation with clamp-on mechanisms for practical usage during pollination routes and honey harvests
  • Includes integrated hive management software with recordkeeping, harvest logging, supply and queen/nuc ordering

"Identifying and treating Africanization early would be worth 100k a year to our operation"

– Wendy, Blue Ridge Honey Co.

"How the f**k can you get through 10,000 hives with 10 employees?"

– Kristen, Alvéole Beekeeping

Proven Financial Impact: 5,000-Colony Operation

Traditional Management With PollenPal
Hive loss rate 40% 10%
Remaining # colonies 3,000 4,500
Revenue $1,200k $1,425k
Hive replacement costs $400k $100k
Other fixed and variable costs $600k $713k
Total costs $1,000k $813k
Total Margin $200k $613k

Note: PollenPal cost not included. Source: USDA NASS honey report, ABJ, Bee Informed Partnership

Hobbyist Beekeeping

B2C Solution for At-Home Hobbyists

  • Provides insightful, actionable data in an easy-to-use dashboard to set inexperienced hobbyist beekeepers up for success
  • Offers significantly easier deployment by leveraging customer's home internet and power supply
  • Includes an AI-powered digital beekeeping assistant for instant hive diagnosis via a phone picture, with option for real beekeeper chat
  • Enables live streaming of hive activity for easy sharing with other beekeepers and friends on social media

"For my first 4 years, I spent $600 on lost hives, and I didn't know why I was losing them!"

– Karen, South Florida

"I just lost my 3rd hive and I'm ready to throw in the towel"

– Beekeeping like a Girl Blog

Proven Financial Impact: 5-Hive Beekeeper

Traditional Management With PollenPal
# hives lost 2 0
Hive replacement costs $500 $0
Other fixed + variable costs $600 $750
Total annual costs $1,100 $750
Honey collected 150 lbs 250 lbs
Value of honey $1,500 $2,500
Annual value added by PollenPal - $1,350

Proudly American
Passionate about
Technology and Beekeeping

Robert Schulte headshot
Robert Schulte — Co-Founder & CEO
Daniel Drew headshot
Daniel Drew — Co-Founder

After years in consulting and engineering, Robert turned his focus to America's agricultural future. From urban beekeeping to commercial operations, one common theme kept emerging — the vital role of bees and the devastating impact of losing them.

That's when the idea struck: to save the bees, we must first save the beekeeper. But how?

For 17 years, Robert kept hives and witnessed firsthand the challenges beekeepers face. This past summer, he lived out of his car, traveling across the country to meet commercial operators managing thousands of hives. The answer became clear: what if we could give every beekeeper the insights of a master beekeeper — in every hive?

With mentorship from industry veterans and a partnership with co-founder Daniel Drew (aerospace engineer from Blue Origin and Apex Space), PollenPal has done exactly that. We've built technology to give beekeepers real-time insight into hive health, threat detection, and colony activity — all without lifting a lid.

Our mission is simple: help beekeepers manage more hives, reduce losses, cut costs, and grow their business with confidence.

Partner With Us for Early Access

Join us in revolutionizing beekeeping. Get early access to PollenPal and help shape the future of hive management.