Implementation and Evaluation of Smart Phone Application for Detecting Varroa Mites Based on Image Processing

Abstract

Varroa mites parasitism of honey bees, one of the causes of bee shortage, is a daily problem for beekeepers. Since Varroa mites are very small (1-2mm) and visual measurement is not easy, there is a need to reduce the cost of measuring the parasitism rate of Varroa mites. In this study, we are developing an automatic counting method using image processing to count the number of mites that have fallen on the paper sheet laid on the bottom of the hive due to the application of disinfectant. In this paper, we implemented the proposed method as a smart phone application and identified issues that need to be solved for practical use.