Articles
HARMONIC RADAR: A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR INVESTIGATING BUMBLEBEE AND HONEY BEE FORAGING FLIGHT
Article number
437_15
Pages
159 – 164
Language
Abstract
Bumblebees and honey bees were used as test insects in the first trials of a technique using harmonic radar to track individual airborne insects and to measure various attributes of their flight.
The technique has the potential to evaluate the distance, direction, route and speed of bee flights.
All of these are important when considering spatial patterns of pollinator movement.
Both bumblebees and honey bees, each tagged with a small diode and wire antenna, were seen to forage on flowers.
They flew to and from their colonies and were tracked by the radar on their outward and return flights.
Examples of the radar tracks are described, showing differences between honey bees and bumblebees with respect to the trajectory and directness of flight route.
Individuals were tracked to distances of up to 250m from their colonies though there is the potential to track them further.
Each bee’s air speed and heading was calculated by subtracting wind velocity from the velocity of individual bees, as measured on theradar.
The mean bee air speed was 5.1(±0.3)ms-1, but it appeared from our data that individuals tended to modulate their air speed according to the component of wind velocity along their heading direction: the higher this component, the lower their air speed.
Further tests are in progress to assess the effects of the tags on bee behavior and to examine in more detail their foraging routes, range and flight dynamics.
The technique has the potential to evaluate the distance, direction, route and speed of bee flights.
All of these are important when considering spatial patterns of pollinator movement.
Both bumblebees and honey bees, each tagged with a small diode and wire antenna, were seen to forage on flowers.
They flew to and from their colonies and were tracked by the radar on their outward and return flights.
Examples of the radar tracks are described, showing differences between honey bees and bumblebees with respect to the trajectory and directness of flight route.
Individuals were tracked to distances of up to 250m from their colonies though there is the potential to track them further.
Each bee’s air speed and heading was calculated by subtracting wind velocity from the velocity of individual bees, as measured on theradar.
The mean bee air speed was 5.1(±0.3)ms-1, but it appeared from our data that individuals tended to modulate their air speed according to the component of wind velocity along their heading direction: the higher this component, the lower their air speed.
Further tests are in progress to assess the effects of the tags on bee behavior and to examine in more detail their foraging routes, range and flight dynamics.
Publication
Authors
J.L. Osborne, I.H. Williams, N.L. Carreck, G.M. Poppy, J.R. Riley, A.D. Smith, D.R. Reynolds, A.S. Edwards
Keywords
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