Governments, businesses, and individuals are all scrambling to nourish dwindling bee populations.
Since such a large percentage of the world’s food supply is grown with the help of honeybees, their decline has spelt real danger for farmers and agricultural businesses who depend on bees for their pollination.
Luckily, a US-based startup has harnessed technology as a means of giving bees a break and saving farmers’ crops.
Dropcopter is an organization that uses aerial drones to pollinate crops and orchards. Based on careful testing and demonstration in America, the drones have boosted pollination in cherry, almond, and apple crops by 10% to 60%.
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There are obvious reasons as to why Dropcopter has to be careful about how they utilize the drones – for starters, if bees see the free pollination as an easy meal, they may be less inclined to pollinate crops. Bees are also much better pollinators than robots, since the drones are only programmed to essentially drop pollen bombs on plants en masse, while honeybees are more dextrous in maneuvering the plant’s many folds and facets.
However, relying on bees for pollination can be risky business for farmers. If their crops have a very slim harvest period and the weather conditions aren’t favorable, then honey bees are unable to do their job properly, which can lead to thousands of dollars in lost crops.
This way, Dropcopter sees the drones more as a backup of helping struggling farmers when bees are in short supply.
(WATCH the explanation video below)
Be Sure And Share The Buzz With Your Friends – Photo by Dropcopter