Bee Sensors Take Flight to Help Farmers

Source: CSIRO Media Release

Thousands of honey bees in Australia are being fitted with tiny sensors as part of a world-first research program to monitor the insects and their environment using a technique known as 'swarm sensing'.

The research is being led by CSIRO and aims to improve honey bee pollination and productivity on farms as well as help understand the drivers of bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a condition decimating honey bee populations worldwide.

Up to 5 000 sensors, measuring 2.5mm x 2.5 mm are being fitted to the backs of the bees in Hobart, Tasmania, before being released into the wild. It's the first time such large numbers of insects have been used for environmental monitoring.

"Honey bees play a vital role in the landscape through a free pollination service for agriculture, which various crops rely on to increase yields. A recent CSIRO study showed bee pollination in Faba beans can lead to a productivity increase of 17 per cent," CSIRO science leader *Dr Paulo de Souza, who leads the swarm sensing project, said.

"Around one third of the food we eat relies on pollination, but honey bee populations around the world are crashing because of the dreaded Varroa mite and Colony Collapse Disorder. Thankfully, Australia is currently free from both of those threats."

The research will also look at the impacts of agricultural pesticides on honey bees by monitoring insects that feed at sites with trace amounts of commonly used chemicals. "Using this technology, we aim to understand the bee’s relationship with its environment. This should help us understand optimal productivity conditions as well as further our knowledge of the cause of colony collapse disorder," Dr de Souza said.

The sensors are tiny Radio Frequency Identification sensors that work in a similar way to a vehicle's e-tag, recording when the insect passes a particular checkpoint. The information is then sent remotely to a central location where researchers can use the signals from the 5 000 sensors to build a comprehensive three dimensional model and visualise how these insects move through the landscape.

Dr de Souza is working with the University of Tasmania, Tasmanian Beekeepers Association, beekeepers in Hobart and fruit growers around the state to trial the technology.

Read the full article at: http://www.csiro.au/news/transcripts/ YouTubeTranscripts/2014/Jan/Swarm_sensing.html

*Dr Paulo de Souza will be speaking at this year’s annual conference in Toowoomba on 12th & 13th June.

Cleofas Rodriguez Cervancia

• Professor Emeritus, University of the Philippines Los Banos

• UP Scientist

• President, APIMONDIA Regional Commission for Asia

(2011- 2017)

• Vice President, Asian Apicultural Association

Dr. Cleofas Cervancia is a specialist in Pollination Biology, Apiculture and Ecology and she will be giving the Tony Knight Address at this year’s conference.

Dr. Cleo Cervancia, a tiny but grand lady is from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna Philippines (UPLB). UPLB is nestled in the beautiful natural forest with the backdrop of Mt Makiling. It is about 1.5 hours’ drive from Manila and offers agricultural science degrees to Filipinos and foreign students.

For many years, Cleo was the head of the Institute of Biological Sciences of UPLB. With her entomological expertise, she was an instrument in the establishment of the Bee Program in the same university.

This program holds bi-annual bee training for aspiring beekeepers as well as advanced program for those who are already in the bee business. There were around 60 Filipino beekeepers working in Australia who were placed under this program.

Aside from her various positions in the different organisations, Cleo is currently the head of the Bee Program and leads the scientific committee of the Asian Bee Congress. She also runs the mellifera and Asian bee organisations in the Philippines and other Asian countries. Beenet Philippines is one such large bee organisation in the Philippines.

Cleo has a large staple of bee knowledge and researches in collaboration with several countries. One such collaborative research was with Denis Anderson of the CSIRO where the people employed were under her guidance in assisting Denis to observe and separate the Korean strain from the Java strain of Varroa mites.

Cleo has also guided the manufacture of bee supplies and handles the sale and testing of all imported queen bees and package bees. Cleo has travelled the world extensively on bee mission and has assisted materialisation of several bee livelihood programs.

Cleo has a great wealth of scientific bee knowledge and yet very humble and approachable. You may ask her what you want to know about Mellifera and the Asian bees.

Ken and Shirley Olley have generously offered to host a Meet and Greet buffet dinner for Dr Cleo after the conference on Thursday. Details will be provided at registration.