Microchips to Track Bees in Australia

In a move that sounds more science fiction than reality, scientists in Australia have announced that they are instituting a microchip process to monitor the movement of bees across the continent. There is a number of reasons why scientists feel that it is important to track the movements and migrations of bees, and there are some strong benefits that could be reaped from the information found from this initiative. Read on for a look at why scientists are using microchip technology to track bees in Australia.

What Are the Benefits?

There are many benefits to tracking bees movements through Australia. Since bee pollination have a huge effect on crops in Australia, scientists believe that tracking their migration will be beneficial to research. Scientists hope to understand the bee’s role in pollinating crops and with its environment as a whole. Other benefits of this study is to understand whether bees have an effect in spreading disease across the continent.

How Does Microchipping Technology Work?

Scientists will microchip 5,000 bees in a controlled environment then set them into the wild. This is done by shaving the back of a bee, and then gluing a 2.5 millimeter sensor on the bee. Scientists will be able to track this sensor through their computers and determine how far a particular bee travels and how many plants the bee potentially pollinated. The microsensor is tiny, just over one-sixteenth of an inch, but it will produce huge results if scientists can track bees movements and help keep more crop alive in years to come.

What is the Scope of This Initiative?

The scope of this initiative is quite large. Scientists will glue a sensor to over 5,000 adult bees. It will be quite interesting to see the survival rate of these bees and how far their reach truly is. Potentially if one part of the continent is not as well pollinated, scientists will be able to target where to release bees in the future. It is an intelligent and pro-active initiative that can help ensure that there is enough food to go around in Australia.

The Bottom Line

While this research project may seem weird, there are significant benefits to it. Tracking the bees migration can help to ensure that the entire continent of Australia is well pollinated, and this information can help the world as a whole. With bees being tracked, they can easily determine that areas that need extra help, and bees can be deployed there.

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