A New Kind of Honeybee Data Collection

CSIRO has attached RFID tags to the backs of honeybees to track their behaviors.
CSIRO has attached RFID tags to the backs of honeybees to track their behaviors. (Photo Credit: CSIRO)

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), leaders in the Global Initiative for Honeybee Health, is addressing the decline in bee populations by attaching RFID tags to the backs of 15,000 honeybees in Australia and Brazil. As the bees enter and exit their hive, electronic readers can record their individual behaviors. Dr. Paulo de Souza of CSIRO stated in a press release that the readers will send data to researchers who can “analyze the effects of stress factors including disease, pesticides, air pollution, water contamination, diet and extreme weather on the movements of bees and their ability to pollinate. Check out how these tags work by viewing the video below.

Read more:

CSIRO Honeybee Health Press Release

Huffington Post: Here’s Why Scientists Are Giving Honeybees Tiny ‘Backpacks’

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