Bees are critical to our food supply year-round, which is why it's so important to protect them from natural disasters. CNBC's Diana Olick reports on one bee-centered startup combatting climate change.

A California-based startup, BeeWise, has developed an AI-powered robotic beehive called the Beehome to address the decline in global bee populations. Traditional wooden beehives, in use since the 1850s, offer little protection against modern threats such as stronger hurricanes, more frequent fires, and increased pesticide use, all exacerbated by climate change.

The Beehome uses cameras and AI software to monitor bees and respond to their needs, providing food, medicine, and climate control as necessary. The system can manage up to 10 hives at the cost of a traditional hive, with future versions expected to handle up to 40. BeeWise has received $170 million in funding and reports that the Beehome reduces bee colony loss by 70%, with thousands already in use and strong revenue growth.

Bees get AI-powered home makeover to keep them safe from disasters

Welcome back to Power Lunch. We tend to think about bees in the spring, but these workhorses are critical for ensuring an abundant food supply all year round. Unfortunately, the bee population globally is in big trouble. Diana Olick has more details in her continuing series on climate startups. Bees, Diana, they're critical. What exactly is being done? Well, Dom, as you said, more than one-third of the crops we eat are pollinated by bees, but 40% of bee colonies are collapsing each year. One reason is climate change. Specifically, stronger hurricanes, more frequent fire, and the need for more pesticides because of all of that. Now, one startup is taking on the traditional beehive with AI and robotics. Behold the wooden beehive, invented around 1850 for commercial pollination. But these basic boxes are not very protective and not at all nurturing. Enter the Beehome, a robotic AI-directed beehive that growers can rent from California startup BeeWise. A robotic beehive is essentially like a traditional beehive. It's completely backwards compatible, so it uses the same frame, same bees. And in that robotic beehive, there's cameras that monitor the bees. The cameras then connect with AI software that monitors each individual bee and identifies its needs. The robotic apparatus can then treat the bees according to those needs. So if there's not enough food in the hive, there's a food container inside this robotic beehive, and the robot will take some food applied to the bees. Same thing with medicine. Thermoregulation, too cold, too warm, there's a storm. We can keep the bees comfortable in their home without them being harmed by external weather patterns. Just last year, Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged or destroyed 200,000 commercial beehives in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina alone. The Beehome costs the same as the traditional wooden beehive and can robotically manage up to 10 hives each, saving growers on labor costs. Next gen products could scale that up dramatically, a feature particularly attractive to investors. So you'll be looking at a Beehome in a few years that can not only manage 10 but go up to 40 or more. And that's where you get a lot of operating margin and operating profit off of the same investment. In addition to Corner Ventures, Beewise is backed by Insight Partners, Fortissimo, Lule Ventures and APG. Total funding so far $170 million. Sapra says the Beehome results in 70% lower bee colony loss and healthier hives. There are already thousands of these operating in the field and revenue, device and consumer growth he says has been enormous, adding that the devices are seeing gross margins of 40%.

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