I am a cerana bee conservationist living in rural Japan and the pioneer of the 1st conservation beehive for wild Asian cerana bees, I am filming an Animal Planet special filming the week of Oct 22-29 in Japan on giant Japanese killer hornets and it's airing April 2015. I would like to showcase and test cerana conservation os bee hive. Offering the opportunity to get OS Beehives significant. I want to explore making a sensor that can detect Giant Hornets via their deep distinguishable buzz. I am also looking for folks to work with me on the design of the hive and offering a $1000 towards this project (as a incentive prize for the best design -- paid out $100 per month over the 10 months - or made as a contribution to the project?). I don't know if we can get this done in time. Anyone interested in helping skype:foundup and let's get the project going. I was JUST contacted last week that the filming is going to happen next month and just today that it will happen the week of October 22.

About the design cc: @jonathan :
PROBLEM: Giant Hornets.
SOLUTION: Some kind of bottom trap that works like a crab trap that allows hornet scout in but does not allow them out. Maybe a false bottom region that draws in the wasp but is built in such a way that once they push themselves in they cant get out. Also serves as a natural area for the bees to ambush them.
SOLUTION: Entrances needs to be ONLY 8mm also by maybe using routing in a 2 box design (box in a box) maybe we can design man-made tunnel where due to angles a larger wasp can not navigate?

PROBLEM: Black bears and maybe Japanese raccoon dogs
SOLUTION: Firmly attached on tree trunk 2-3 meters up using wire that is tightened with a stick. To protect the tree wood will be used to stop the wire from cutting into the tree. Box needs to be firmly constructed. I recommend a box-in-a-box construction. Hives should take the dimensions of the Traditional Japanese beehives (link for inspiration only) box height (1 - 1.5 m) and width (260-280 cm).

SENSOR:
Sensor, if possible, needs to be calibrated to detect the deep buzzing of the hornet. We will probably not use them this time but they need to be built with them in mind in the future.

OTHER FEATURES:
1. If the hive can be designed so that the front panel can be removed for sensor access for cleaning and comb inspection that would be awesome. Wires attaching the hive would loop above and blow the door with a removable lashing for the front door.
2. Strength, durability and thickness to help bees over cold Japanese winters
3. Wax moth... not sure if they would be a problem.
4. Bottom ventilation. This can tie into the giant hornet trap? Causing the bee sent to come primarily out of the bottom, luring in and trapping moths...

October 11, 2014 update: Talked to the producer today. We will do a shot of the new Cerana Conservation OS Beehive being CNC routed out. Currently seeking a CNC router to use in Fukui, Japan and reaching out to Tech Universities to lend student engineers to the continued design process. Another shot the hive being placed near an existing wild who have set up shop in a tree. The aim is to see if scouts will mark it and take to it. I will be documenting the shoot for patrons of foundups.com foundup fund and 100% of proceeds will be used for Japan OSBeehive project I am undertaking in Fukui Japan.

Hi @foundups - great opportunity.

Adaptation of Apis cerana to Top-bar Bee Hives
Margaret Chan Kit Yok
Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Malaysia
drmchan@sarawak.uitm.edu.my

Overview

"The experiment was conducted in a coconut farm at
Kampong Sebandi, Asajaya, Sarawak over an eight
weeks’ period from 22 July to 2 September, 2006. The
modified Langstroth beehive box design comprised of a
rectangular wooden box with an internal volume of 1.5
litres. The box sat on a wooden board with an internal
wire meshed cover top for ventilation and an external
water-proof cover top. Rectangular frames constructed
from wooden slats of size 315 x 280 cm with a wire across
the middle were fitted inside the box with nails acting as
spacers to meet the required comb space. The top-bar
beehive box was of similar structure as the modified
Langstroth beehive box design. However, instead of the
rectangular wooden frames, only wooden slats were used
to sit on top of the box."

Conclusions

"The experiment conducted conclusively revealed that
top-bar hives could be used in beekeeping of Apis cerana
as indicated by the comparative growth parameters of the
comb and brood area to the modified Langstroth beehive
design. It was also indicated that top-bar beehive design
is not inferior to the advance technology of the modified
Langstroth beehive box design."

We need some design specifications to constrain our approach. I recommend posting images of the hives you're interested in designing in this thread, and I'll follow up by identifying some of the dimensions and features that make hives for Apis Cerana unique.

The notable differences between A. cerana and A. melifera are behavioral. cerana is a subspecies of honeybee with smaller comb size fewer individuals within a colony, and a higher proclivity to swarm during times of stress than A. melifera. I think, but I'm not certain, that cerana adapted their behavior to deal with the japanese hornets by killing scout hornets before the attack swarm even arrives. an audio sensor would definitely be able to show when the hives were getting attacked though.

Check out these images of Japanese hives. 8mm entrance. But because of wasps we need to rethink the entrance. Needs to be multiple... could we include a giant hornet trap? I am thinking of a kind of grab trap that allows the hornet into a false bottom and they cant get out. Easy to get in but impossible to get out. The hive needs to be tall so that it can be wired onto a tree above bear reach. I am also thinking that we need to have double thick walls. Think of a box within a box. This would provide better insulation for the winter/summer make it stronger against bear attacks and by having a router groove that allows entrances to connect make it impossible for wasps to gnaw themselves into it. We can relay on one entrance either. Top, side, bottom entrances. It would be great if the front panel could be removes or hinged. This would allow for checking and cleaning the hive or accessing sensor. I have a lot of ideas. skype:foundup and we can discuss them.

They are smaller smaller than the melifera cousins. Cerana bees are very sensitive and will swarm if you handle them too much. Smoking kills them. They swarm every spring. They can only kill the hornet if they can lure in the scout and jump it. Problem is hives are not designed for this and the scout will mark and fetch the rest to attack. That is why a design with a fake bottom access for trapping wasp scouts would be ideal.

This is not for honey production so the need for bars is not needed. I think the best way to go is an improved modified traditional Japanese hive. But one cut (not stacked boxes). With a frontal access.

@jonathan check out @foundups post above for a reference. Jon Minchin is going to do the design, so stay tuned.

Email I sent to @jonathan ----
Hey guys, great to have your interest in helping make this project happen. I am committed to supporting with foundups fund money and I will be using all income I get for the filming for cerana bee conservation efforts in Japan. I will be in US Nov 3 - Jan 14 (LA, SFO, NY, DC, TPA) if anyone wants to meet up.

My skype:foundup - I am very accessible via skype.

Hive ideas:
I think the hive should take the shape of a traditional Japanese beehive (But as a one piece unit with a front panel that opens for access and cleaning.) I am thinking, if possible, that it should be doubled walled for additional insulation and strength. A routed groove connecting the exit and the internal holes could server as a good deterrent for wasp access... We could explore having a false entrance at the bottom that allows wasp to enter that then serves as a palace for the bees to ambush and kill or simply trap scouts in such a way they can't exit once they enter. Modeled after crab/quid trap innovation that allows the wasp in but they cant get out... Sensors?... can they be calibrated to detect the deeper wasp buzz. I can immediate determine a wasp is near by their very deep buzz.

Dates set for filming are Oct 22 - 29. on the 26 they will be filming me locally and I want to use this date for setting up cerana conservation OS beehives and talking about the feature, goals etc...

I am reaching out to local university too who I think will have CNC router. If you are interested in the design of this hive please contact me so we can discuss it. I have been active in the cerana bee conservation since 2011 and have set up a number of sites and hives that I have built myself.

Cheers,

Here is some research on cerana bee that would be interesting/useful for sensor development.