Honey Bee Waggle Dance Detection
| Project Title | Decoding audio-visual honeybee hive signals for waggle dance detection and hive health monitoring |
|---|---|
| Project Timeline | March 2021 - Ongoing |
| Researchers | Dr Saeed Afshar, Dr Ying Xu, James Makinson |
| Partners/Collaborators | Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment |
Project Synopsis
The goal of this project will be to produce a revolutionary new multi-sensory hive monitoring system that for the first time will provide beekeepers with real time information about where bees are foraging. This technology will greatly aid beekeepers deploying colonies for honey production or pollination services, as well as provide an engaging public outreach tool to teach people about the biology of honeybees.
Project Details
The goal of this project will be to produce a revolutionary new hive monitoring system which shall incorporate machine vision analysis of waggle dances to allow beekeepers to eavesdrop on honeybee foragers in the hive. This will allow users to determine in real time where their bees are foraging in the landscape. The monitoring system will also use a novel audio monitoring algorithm to monitor metrics of hive health such as parasite load, the preparation of colonies for swarming and the vigour of newly emerging queens.
