beecam up and running

[onriver]

Finally sorted out the glitches for the moment and we've managed to but a webcam under the roof of a nuc box in the garden, adding to the camera in the next box on our village website (that's if admin will allow?)
http://www.blackhallmill.org.uk/
If you follow the link, go to webcam and use the java button you can see what my bees are up to
Andy

 

[Foxylad]

User name and password?

Will it want my credit card details too?

 

[Lois]

fantastic, I watched the girls and the birds for ages, thank you

 

[dickbowyer]

Hi

Nice hive cam. Can you invert hive picture, as it seems easier to watch when I invert my screen?

 

[onriver]

nothing devious about it, honest!
Its just the software that seems to need a seperate log in (user and bcam) and, if you click on the java symbol next to camera a, you'll get a better quality image thats the right way up

 

[Alabamaeee]

Sadly the Java crashes my Browser, Safari 5.05 running on an Imac, OS X version 10.6.7

Thought you might like to know about it.

Was disappointed as the stills look pretty good.

 

[YorkshireBees]

I got the java to work on Chrome but get "Server has no response" for the beecam, nice Nestbox cam though!

 

[steve_e]

That's really good thanks! Is that showing the top super or the BB? And is there a light source inside the hive or is it infra red?

 

[onriver]

sorry for those who can't see it - I'll pass on to our technical department....
Steve, its a new split into a nuc box I made (new queen should have hatched 5 days ago so should be some laying going on by now, I hope); deep roof with an eke over a perspex crown board, security camera with infrared LEDs attached to the underside of the roof and at an angle to try and minimise glare from the lights. I was worried about light leaking in from outside but it seems to be ok and the bees seem happy enough. Should get an exterior camera up and running by the weekend as well
Thanks for the positive comments

 

[YorkshireBees]

Oh, now it's working for me!

Nice, bit freaky seeing bees walking across the perspex crown board, seeming to walk upside down in thin air!

Good job you explained the setup

hm only problem for me is going to be NOT watching it all day at work!!

 

[Gardenbees]

Really interesting! I noticed that some of the bees don't really move that much, whereas most are milling about. Possibly the more stationary bees are guards or something? They look like foremen or supervisors!

 

[EdNewman]

Can you tell us what camera it is? Looking to get one myself, but too many choices. Yours looks great!

Ed.

 

[Alabamaeee]

As far as I understand (being a newbee) bees take "time out" just like every other animal and will often take a five minute break!

Lets hope no Brussels bureaucrat reads this or else there will be an EU law stipulating compulsory rest periods for workers

After all they once spent a whole day debating the best way to cook lobsters so as not to cause them undue stress!

 

[steve_e]

Crikey, I didn't realise it was so involved. Is it cabled back to a computer or to a wireless relay or access point or something?

I was watching it for far too long today. Thanks for explaining they were upside down on the perspex Yorkshirebees. I saw a couple like that yesterday and thought they were wriggling round on their back!

 

[onriver]

Hi - yep I've noticed the quiet ones as well and have no idea what they're thinking about!
The set up is down to the 2 others in the team - Jim who does all the techy stuff and Mick who makes it all happen. The kit was bought from eby and is a webcam server attached under the hive and an infrared usb camera, all cabled back to a router (which is why the nuc has to be next to the house!) and then by some sort of magical process to the world. Jim has done something with the java option and also made it accessible to mac users. I'll pass on any technical questions - I'm just dead chuffed it all works!

 

[nonstandard]

The upside-down bees 'surfing' across the screen are a little bizarre but do clearly demonstrate the use of bee-space.

Off to look at cameras and servers on ebay now

 

[onriver]

I tried to make sure the perspex sheet was exactly 6mm above the frames as I thought it would be the first thing to get clogged up and it hasn't yet!

 

[steve_e]

Is it possible to include audio with webcams? It would be quite a nice background to have the hive 'roar'.

 

[Mosquito]

Really interesting! I noticed that some of the bees don't really move that much, whereas most are milling about. Possibly the more stationary bees are guards or something? They look like foremen or supervisors!

Bees often do nothing!
Love to get one in my beehive.

Maybe you can show us some picture of your set up?

 

[Alabamaeee]

Unfortunately still not working on my imac. The pop up window appears but is blank, after that I get the Red logon window gut the mac is them doing the spinning wheel and safari is locked up.

I like the captured shots and it's working well for you, but I'd love to see the live feed.