Smart Beehive Scale and Climate Monitor
Weigh a hive every hour to track honey flow, swarms and winter stores without opening the box.
Beekeepers learn a lot from weight: a sudden drop can mean a swarm, a steady gain means a strong nectar flow. Four load cells and an HX711 amplifier turn a platform into a scale.
Wear proper beekeeping protection and work calmly. Install the scale between inspections.
Mission steps
Build the platform
Mount four load cells at the corners between two weatherproof boards.
Wire the HX711
Load cells in a bridge to the HX711, its DOUT and SCK to two ESP32 GPIOs.
Calibrate
Zero with nothing on it, then place a known weight and compute the scale factor.
Measure hourly
Wake, read weight and the BME280 inside the hive lid, send by Wi-Fi or LoRa, sleep.
Watch trends
A drop of 1–2 kg in minutes during spring often means a swarm left.
Questions
Will temperature affect the readings?
Load cells drift slightly with temperature. Log temperature too and compare day-to-day trends at the same hour.