"Sweet" Science at the Festival-Fair in the Minsk District
12.10.2026
A scientific and practical seminar titled "Modern Beekeeping Technologies" was held in Samokhvalovichi at the Institute of Fruit Growing (a Republican Unitary Enterprise) as part of the "Belarusian Autumn 2026: Potatoes, Fruit, and Vegetables" festival and fair. Sergey Viktorovich Potetenko, Head of the Department for Scientific and Methodological Support of Digital Development at the United Institute of Informatics Problems (UIIP) of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, participated in the event.
Modern beekeeping faces a range of challenges, from climate change to the spread of new pathogens (such as various mite species and bacterial infections). These topics formed the core of the expert discussion.
The event featured not only an exchange of knowledge but also a tasting of "amber gold" from the seminar participants' apiaries. Honey samples were assigned numbers to ensure the anonymity of the entrants. Winners were determined through a vote involving 90 people; honey from Sergey Potetenko’s personal apiary won the silver award.
Theory was complemented by practical demonstrations. Following the plenary presentations, participants visited the experimental apiary of the Center for Scientific Beekeeping. A test zone for the "Smart Beekeeping" project has been set up there, utilizing seven hives. The hives are equipped with monitoring sensors currently being analyzed by UIIP scientists. As a reminder, our institute is implementing the unique "Smart Beekeeping" project in collaboration with the Center for Scientific Beekeeping at the Institute of Fruit Growing. Future stages of the project will involve training neural networks to analyze the sound of bee buzzing, thereby helping to assess the bees' current condition. For the beekeeper, this means the ability to receive instant notifications of deviations from the norm and make decisions without unnecessarily disturbing the insects.
Modern beekeeping faces a range of challenges, from climate change to the spread of new pathogens (such as various mite species and bacterial infections). These topics formed the core of the expert discussion.
The event featured not only an exchange of knowledge but also a tasting of "amber gold" from the seminar participants' apiaries. Honey samples were assigned numbers to ensure the anonymity of the entrants. Winners were determined through a vote involving 90 people; honey from Sergey Potetenko’s personal apiary won the silver award.
Theory was complemented by practical demonstrations. Following the plenary presentations, participants visited the experimental apiary of the Center for Scientific Beekeeping. A test zone for the "Smart Beekeeping" project has been set up there, utilizing seven hives. The hives are equipped with monitoring sensors currently being analyzed by UIIP scientists. As a reminder, our institute is implementing the unique "Smart Beekeeping" project in collaboration with the Center for Scientific Beekeeping at the Institute of Fruit Growing. Future stages of the project will involve training neural networks to analyze the sound of bee buzzing, thereby helping to assess the bees' current condition. For the beekeeper, this means the ability to receive instant notifications of deviations from the norm and make decisions without unnecessarily disturbing the insects.