A Michigan nonprofit research apiary
Our bees make raw Michigan honey. We collect and analyze continuous data from their hives to build a deeper picture of colony health—one that can give beekeepers more time to act.
Open Hive Research Network
Sensors + field observations + machine learning
Why we are here
Brumble Bee Farms collects and analyzes data from honey bee hives through internet-connected systems that bring together sensor readings, beekeeper observations, weather, and colony outcomes. We use that evidence to study which patterns can become reliable early warnings—and which sensors are valuable enough to put into an affordable tool for working beekeepers.
From hive to insight
An inspection is a moment in time. A connected hive creates a living record. Our work links those two views so useful changes are easier to recognize sooner.
01
Capture synchronized temperature, humidity, weight, sound, entrance activity, weather, and other signals around the clock.
02
Pair the sensor record with inspections, management events, pest observations, honey production, and colony outcomes.
03
Train machine-learning models to find which signals—and which combinations—provide the earliest, most reliable information.
04
Turn validated patterns into practical warnings for beekeepers and appropriate open data for researchers, educators, and developers.
Our current project
We are moving from an initial instrumented hive to a Michigan research yard of approximately ten colonies, then into partner apiaries. More colonies, seasons, locations, and management styles will help us learn what generalizes—and what does not.
Every jar has a job
When you buy our raw honey, you support the hives, hardware, field work, and data infrastructure behind this research. The jar is something good from the work—and a way to help move the work forward.
Shop honey with a purpose
Public-benefit work
Brumble Bee Farms is a research apiary of The Institute for Applied Ontological Mathematics, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We collect and analyze data from honey bee hives so the work can reach beyond our own yard: healthier colonies, more useful tools for beekeepers, and a public research resource that can support questions we have not thought to ask yet.
Learn about Freshly FarmedFrom the research yard
Pure, unfiltered honey from our own hives. Each purchase helps sustain the colonies and the open research growing around them.
4.4 oz
Pure and unfiltered, from our Michigan research apiary. The everyday pour. Each jar helps support hive care, field work, sensors, and the collection and analysis of honey bee hive data.
$10.00
8.5 oz
The same raw Michigan honey, more of it. Pure and unfiltered, for the kitchen that goes through a jar. Each purchase helps move our nonprofit collection and analysis of honey bee hive data forward.
$15.00
12 × 1.6 oz jars
Twelve small jars of pure, unfiltered Michigan honey, ready for corporate and holiday gifting. Every set shares honey with your community while its profits support the bees and our nonprofit hive-data research.
$65.00
Field work
Swarms and colonies that need a home bring more bees into careful management and observation. We also welcome usable equipment, financial support, and experienced hands.
