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Scientists track bees with RFID
Tech creates a buzz in the lab

By Nick Heath

Published: Thursday 28 February 2008

RFID technology is being used to give scientists an unrivalled insight into the lives of one of nature's smallest creatures – the humble bumblebee.

Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London say the tracking chips allow them to carry out experiments that would have previously been impossible.

Hundreds of bees at their east London lab have been tagged using RFID chips to monitor their every move.

Readers positioned on the hive and on artificial flowers capture the bees' journey as they hunt for nectar.

Scientists hope to unlock the secrets of the insects' tiny brains – they have about 950,000 brain cells to a human's 100 billion – by examining how they make complex choices about which routes to fly between flowers.

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The tech is also being used by Queen Mary to track bees in the Artic circle and examine how the creatures use foraging pheromones.

Dr Nigel Raine, co-investigator on the project, said: "Previously we would use number plates to identify bees but it is error prone and would need someone sitting near each flower to visually identify each bee, limiting us to a very simple experiment.

"RFID allows us to carry out experiments on a much larger scale, using RFID to monitor multiple individuals at the same time. The technology is really helping us to do a lot more."

The bee tracking research could even benefit the tech industry, with the possibility that the rules bees use to calculate the most efficient flight path could be used to simplify and streamline the flow of data over a computer network, the researchers said.