Australia’s fauna is getting high-tech. After scientists have given sharks the power to tweet, they are now gluing tiny sensors onto honey bees. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) are gluing microchips on bees in a bid to control the diseases that are threatening their population.

Scientists at the national science agency are going to use tweezers to glue tiny Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors to the bees after soothing them to sleep by refrigeration.

For younger bees, which are hairier than their elders, scientists need to shave them first before the 2.5mm x 2.5mm sensors can be glued on.

This seemingly painstaking method is necessary to help scientists understand the drivers of bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CDD), which is a condition that decimates honey bee populations worldwide.

“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 o the cause of colony collapse disorder,” CSIRO science leader Dr Paulo de Souza said in a statement, adding that the sensors appear to have no impact on the bees’ ability to fly and carry out its normal duties.

The swarm sensing research project also aims to look at the impacts of agricultural pesticides on honey bees, and aims to improve honey bee pollination.

The RFIDs work in a similar way to a vehicle’s e-tag. When the bee passes a particular checkpoint, the information is sent to a central location, and the researchers will use the signals from the 5,000 sensors on bees to build a comprehensive three-dimensional model, allowing them to visualise how the insects move through the landscape.

As Dr de Souza explained, “Bees are social insects that return to the same point and operate on a very predictable schedule. Any change in their behaviour indicates a change in their environment. If we can model their movements, we’ll be able to recognise very quickly when their activity shows variation and identify the cause.

“This will help us understand how to maximise their productivity as well as monitor for any biosecurity risks.”

CSIRO is working with the University of Tasmania, Tasmanian Beekeepers Association, local beekeepers in Hobart, and fruit growers around the state to test the technology.

Aside from attaching tiny sensors to bees, CSIRO scientists are also granting little children’s requests. Just recently, they have printed a 3-D dragon for 7-year-old Sophie, who wrote and ask them to create a dragon.

Late in December, the group Surf Life Saving WA has attached transmitters to 320 sharks in Western Australia to allow them to send a “tweet” whenever they move within half a mile from the shore.

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