🔬 Florish is currently in R&D — the product is not yet available. Join the waitlist to follow our progress.

In development · New Zealand

Precision hive health, powered by sound

Florish is building in-hive acoustic sensors to detect varroa mite infestation — so beekeepers can treat the hives that need it, not every hive on the apiary. Currently in early R&D.

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70%
of hives treated unnecessarily
30%
of hives critically infested
$0
wasted treatment — the goal
Recognised by
University of Auckland
Velocity Ideas Challenge
New Zealand

The problem

Beekeepers are flying blind on varroa

Varroa mite infestations spread silently. By the time visible symptoms appear, colonies are already in serious decline — and without precise data, the only option is to treat every hive, every time.

Invisible until it's too late

Varroa mites reproduce inside capped brood cells, making early detection with the naked eye nearly impossible. Infestations can reach critical levels before any external signs appear.

Blanket treatments are wasteful

Without per-hive data, beekeepers treat entire apiaries whether they need it or not. That means wasted chemical cost, unnecessary stress on healthy colonies, and accelerated mite resistance.

63K
NZ hives lost last winter
#1
varroa — cause of colony loss above all others combined

Varroa is the defining threat to NZ beekeeping

12.8% of New Zealand's colonies were lost last winter alone — and varroa caused more deaths than every other threat combined. Early, precise detection is no longer optional.

The solution we're building

Florish will listen to what your hives are telling you

01

In-hive acoustic sensor

A compact, open-circuit sensor sits inside each hive, continuously capturing the acoustic signature of the colony — no moisture build-up, no disruption to the bees.

02

Acoustic classification

Florish's model will analyse the audio signal to detect the acoustic patterns associated with varroa mite stress — distinguishing healthy colonies from infested ones.

03

Precision treatment alerts

Beekeepers will receive alerts only for the hives that need attention. Treat the 30% that need it, leave the 70% that don't. No guesswork, no waste.

04

Hardware + SaaS platform

Florish will be delivered as a sensor hardware subscription paired with a monitoring dashboard — built for commercial beekeepers managing hives at scale.

Acoustic signature · Concept
Hive 03 — Colony A Healthy
Hive 07 — Colony B Mite stress
The hypothesis: varroa-stressed colonies produce a distinct acoustic signature — erratic and high-frequency — compared to the regular, low-amplitude pattern of healthy hives. This is what we're testing.

The founder

Built by someone who
went looking for the problem

Ryan Stevens, founder of Florish
Ryan Stevens
Founder

Ryan is a Finance and Business Analytics student at the University of Auckland. Florish started with a conversation with a commercial beekeeper who had just finished a season spraying every hive he owned — and discovered afterwards that most of them never needed it.

That gap between what beekeepers can see and what's actually happening inside the hive became the problem worth solving. Florish exists to close it: not just detecting varroa, but telling beekeepers exactly which hives need treatment and which don't.

The company is currently in early research and development — building and validating the acoustic detection model, working alongside commercial beekeepers in Northland and advisors with deep experience in New Zealand apiculture hardware.

Based in
Auckland, New Zealand
Studying
Finance & Business Analytics
Recognised by
Velocity Ideas Challenge

Waitlist

Be first to know when we launch

Florish is in active R&D. Register your interest and we'll be in touch when we're ready to onboard early partners — beekeepers, researchers, and investors welcome.