Beekeepers get healthy bees through digital gaming

Bee colonies are complex and are influenced by a number of surrounding factors that can be difficult for beekeepers to get an overview of. Now it is possible to play with this knowledge with the new experiential learning game Healthy Bees.

Through Healthy Bees, the player can learn more about what is required for a bee colony to survive. For example, the game highlights the influence of the surrounding landscape, such as access to pollen and nectar and the need to control and treat for the varroa mite, which parasitizes honey bees.

- There are so many different factors that affect it that it can feel confusing and overwhelming. The idea of ​​the bee game is to highlight these different factors in a form that is easier to absorb, says Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen, research assistant and doctoral student at the SLU Competence Center for Advisory Services.

The game is a so-called experiential learning game and is primarily intended to be played on a mobile phone. The content is based on research on bees and pollination. In the game, the player can buy a bee colony and earn money by collecting honey or by succeeding with knowledge questions. For example, you can use these to buy extra flowers for the landscape, winter food or additional knowledge.

– The game shows how the bee colony is affected when the beekeeper harvests honey, which gives the player the opportunity to test their way to the “right” amount of honey to pick out, in a very simplified way.

Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen has many years of experience in supporting beekeepers, and the idea for an educational game was sparked during a conference on the subject.

– I got in touch with a class of master's students at the University of Skövde and pitched my idea to them, and a bunch of students took it, among them Fyor Klein Gunnewiek.

Students with different skills developed the game as a project work and a successful first version gave them the appetite for more. The next step in the development journey was made possible thanks to a contact with SLU Holding and a basic grant from the Swedish Beekeeping Sector Support Agency.

– Mats Wiktorsson at SLU Holding saw the potential in this and stepped in and supported us, which meant that – in addition to advice – we also received an extra financial contribution through VFT funds that enabled us to move forward.

The game is available in both Swedish and English and a beta version was launched during Smedjeveckan in Skara. The final adjustments will be made at the end of the year and then the game will be available for free to download via Google Play and the website.

– The ambition is that the understanding of how beekeepers keep bee colonies healthy becomes clearer. This is what beekeepers generally strive for, both to contribute to increased pollination of our crops and wild nature and at the same time to be able to get a good harvest of honey and other by-products, says Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.

The logo and brand were developed by Anna Lind Lewin at SLU Competence Center for Advisory Services.

Text source SLU Holding