Australian scientists are attaching tiny sensors to thousands of bees, in an effort to help stop the spread of disease.
By attaching the sensors, the scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) aim to track the bees movements, to try and halt the spread of disease which has wiped out entire populations in the Northern Hemisphere. They hope that by tracking the bees, it can help tackle the so-called colony collapse disorder, where bees mysteriously disappear from their hives, and the encroachment of parasitic varroa mite.
Some young bees, which tend to be hairier than older bees, need to be shaved before the sensor can be glued on.
The research will also help farmers and fruit growers to understand and manage their crops, as bees play a vital role in the pollination of plants all around the world.
“Honey bees play a vital role in the landscape through a free pollination service for agriculture, which various crops rely on to increase yields,” the CSIRO’s Paulo de Souza, who is leading the project, said in the statement.
“Using this technology, we aim to understand the bee’s relationship with its environment.”
But their ambitions don’t stop there. Scientists are planning on reducing the size of the chips further to 1mm, to attempt to attach them to mosquitoes and other smaller insects.
Original Article: Yahoo! News.
