Development of a comprehensive information system for apiary management

Abstract

The article presents the concept of developing a comprehensive information system for efficient management of an industrial apiary under modern economic and environmental challenges. The relevance of the development is driven by the growing need for digitalization in beekeeping both in Ukraine, which is one of the leaders in honey exports, and globally, where active integration of IT technologies into agricultural production is taking place. The structure and functional modules of the system are described, covering key areas of beekeeping such as the accounting of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of bee colonies, monitoring their physiological state, planning technological operations, controlling honey collection, and analyzing expenditures. The main goal of the development is to optimize management processes, reduce labor intensity, and minimize risks by implementing modern IT solutions. A detailed analysis of problems affecting apiary productivity is carried out, taking into account biological, climatic, veterinary, and organizational aspects. A modular approach to system design is proposed, enabling forecasting of colony development and identification of potential threats based on the integration of large volumes of heterogeneous data. Particular attention is paid to the application of fuzzy logic as a tool for formalizing the expert experience and intuitive knowledge of beekeepers, which makes it possible to generate quantitative recommendations based on qualitative assessments. Examples of fuzzy rule applications are demonstrated for assessing colony strength, brood condition, swarming prediction, pesticide poisoning risk management, and disease diagnosis. It is shown that the developed system has the potential to integrate with IoT devices, sensor networks, and mobile applications for real-time data acquisition, opening opportunities for creating an intelligent decision support platform in industrial beekeeping to enhance productivity, economic efficiency, and production sustainability in a changing environment. The conclusions state that implementing such a system can significantly increase the profitability of apiary operations and reduce the impact of the human factor on critical production processes.