Scientists are now able to monitor activity within bee hives with a new technology described as an accelerometer sensor. This technology measures the vibrations of bees and monitors the accelerations of those vibrations. Scientists are able to record DVAV signals which helps them to understand bee behavior and communications among the hive to assess their health. Scientists aim to reduce humankind’s impact on earth and to provide a more sustainable future for endangered species and humans alike with this technology that will help us better understand bee behavior and health.
Key Takeaways:
- Honey bee species and colonies are being threatened worldwide by climate change, toxic pesticides, and disease. This could have serious consequences for agriculture because bees pollinate plants.
- Using the dorso-ventral abdominal vibration (DVAV) signal, bee keepers and researchers can be able to help bees and bee colonies to thrive.
- Since the woodlands that honey bees need to survive have all but disappeared, they rely on bee keepers to survive. So these keepers need to continuously monitor colony health.
“Problems can arise quickly in a colony, with devastating effects. While commercial beekeepers are doing their best to monitor bee populations in hives, checking on every single hive’s population is a near impossible task, as some professionals have more than 1,000 colonies to care for.”
