MiteOut: From School Project to Innovative Environmental Solutions

This year’s Social Blueprint Challenge showcased a wide range of student ventures that displayed their creative ideation, innovation, design, and business skills. But the top placing team, MiteOut, stood out. Founded by Jonah Hymes (Dartmouth ‘28) and Lucas Bell (RPI ‘28), MiteOut is addressing the alarming decline of bee populations in hives across the country. As first place winners of the SBC, they advanced directly to the Hult Prize national competition in Boston. 

Co-founders Jonah and Lucas began the project in high school, where they enrolled in their school’s engineering track. It began with classes in design, manufacturing, engineering principles, and in senior year, culminated in an engineering capstone project. “The format is: you find an issue, design a solution, and then build the business around it,” Jonah explained.

The pivot to business thinking was uncomfortable at first. “Everyone was like, ‘This all sucks; I just want to be an engineer,’” Jonah admitted. But as the project evolved, so did their mindset. “By the end of it, it actually isn't so bad—it's kind of interesting.’”

The business mindset transformed their approach to engineering and innovation. “You can't design something without thinking about how it's going to sell,” Jonah reflected. “To make any kind of mark in the world, you need to think about the business and [using that] to make your unique impact.”

Before focusing on bees, the team explored several concepts—from making rubber out of dandelions to targeting invasive mussels. The alarming decline in bee populations eventually captured their attention. “The issue is evolving at a very rapid rate,” Jonah explained. “They're finding the all-time high hive deaths [of 80%]. They don't know exactly what's happening.”

Jonah and Lucas set out to address a unique problem in the sector. After extensive research, MiteOut zeroed in on tackling the varroa mite: a parasite that feeds on larvae and adult bees, weakening colonies and increasing hive mortality. 

Finding their niche wasn't easy. “I got really obsessive—I would print out all these [collegiate] papers and just go to the library and highlight and read them,” Jonah explained regarding their ideation. “We talked to so many people…I remember being really excited, setting up calls with the USDA and bee research centers,” he recalled.

MiteOut focuses on innovating upon the existing varroa mite treatment infrastructure. “We started looking at [varroa mite] chemical treatments and found issues—the mites building resistance to them, the human labor involved,” Jonah explained. Their solution dispenses chemical treatment in a timed, regulated, and efficient way, reducing both labor burden and operating costs for beekeepers. 

Breaking into an industry reliant on tradition was difficult. Jonah and Lucas focused on finding a balance between introducing new technology while preserving existing beekeeping methods. “[Beekeepers] don't want a smart hive, where you put the sensors in and it does everything for you,” Jonah explained. “They want some sort of hands-on experience…it's about how we can build sensors to aid beekeepers while they still have some agency within their hives?” 

The team worked closely with beekeepers across upstate New York to shape their product and pricing strategy.  The project was hard work, but rewarding. “It was a lot of time spent online, just reading forums, articles…we were both really obsessed. Working on it every second we had—it was really fun,” Jonah recalled. 

Jonah and Lucas have been best friends long before they were co-founders. “[Since eighth grade,] we'd love just doing things together,” Jonah explained. “Our hobby was going to a thrift store, buying out their electronic section, taking it apart and building things with it.”

Their collaborative success began in junior year, when they partnered to build a balsa wood bridge for a statewide engineering competition. “We built the bridge, put way too much effort into it, spent way too much time on it and ended up breaking the record for the competition,” Jonah shared. This win motivated Jonah and Lucas to partner up again for their senior-year capstone project.

Lucas and Jonah’s teamwork has proved crucial to MiteOut’s success. “I struggle with making ideas…I can go out and read a bunch of papers, but turning all this knowledge into something new is a struggle for me,” Jonah admitted. “But [Lucas] is able to make these ideas that no one's ever thought of before. In that way, we work well together.”

The road has been long, but their balance of skills has played out well for the duo. “It's been a lot of hard work—writing essays and preparing scripts and pitch decks,” Jonah recalled. “It really helps that we’re best friends; we've known each other for so long, we’ve balanced each other's strengths and weaknesses to get to this point.”

At Dartmouth, Jonah has found valuable resources to advance their venture. In particular, “[The Magnuson Center] is a very helpful resource. I think I've done every single thing that could help this project that I've seen.”

The day of the Social Blueprint Challenge was a rewarding experience. Their pitch went well—but they were additionally inspired by the other teams. “We sat down and then all the other pitches were just absurd, they were really, really good,” Jonah recalled. When the results were announced, they came as a shock: “They announced first place, and I'm like, holy shit, dude. I literally forgot everything that happened after that.”

Following their victory, the founders’ workload has only increased. “Every second I'm not spending studying or doing homework, I've been doing things for [the business],” Jonah explained. “Which has been really fun.”

The pair’s effort has resulted in continuing success. At the Hult Nationals in Boston, hosted March 22-24, MiteOut placed top eight out of 64 teams—earning recognition as national finalists. Even after the competition, the team is still working hard, committed to growing MiteOut and bringing their venture to life.