During a class project, Anna Haldewang learned of the current plight of honeybees and chose to base her project around finding a way to raise awareness and help. She created a bee drone that can assist in cross-pollination and is large enough to show people what a bee does and how it helps the ecosystem. Although she has not yet made it to phase two of Plan Bee, Haldewang imagines this is how her drones will help those who work in hydroponics and indoor farming.

SYRACUSE — Anna Haldewang, a senior at Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga., is majoring in industrial design. Raised at Dewart Lake in Syracuse, Haldewang is already making quite an impression with her bee drone creation.

Anna Haldewang

In her studio one class for her major she was given an assignment to create a self-sufficient object that would help to stimulate the growth of plants. The first stage was research and Haldewang began looking up the basics of what a plant needs. She began to focus on wind which led her to watch a 2009 documentary, “Vanishing of the Bees,” on bees and the importance of cross-pollination.

This led Haldewang to come up with Plan Bee. From the beginning of the project in 2015 to her final design today, the bee drone has undergone 50 different variations.

Her drone is small enough to fit into the palm of a hand but large enough to be noticeable. Propellers are used for movement. As the bee drone approaches the flower, small vacuums collect some of the pollen on the plant. As it approaches another flower the propellers push air through the vents at the top of the drone and pollen trickles out through the bottom.

Phase one of Plan Bee will be just one drone in the backyard. It can help people not only with cross-pollination of plants but also to realize the importance of honeybees in the ecosystem. Haldewang wants this to help individuals create “an emotional connection with nature through the drone.”

Phase two will involve the drones assisting those who work with hydroponics and indoor farming. Currently all cross-pollination is done by hand so Plan Bee could help make things significantly easier for them.

Currently Haldewang just has her one bee drone for Plan Bee and is in the process of filing for a patent. She is also looking for investors and engineers to help, stating she needs “other pieces of the puzzle for it to become a reality.”

With her minor in marine design, Haldewang was also this year’s European Product Design Award winner in transportation—nautical/boats. Her yacht design also won Discovery of the Year in the same competition.

Meanwhile she is preparing for graduation June 3 and focusing on her senior project revolving around meditation.