Practice Abstract - Research and innovation
Measuring vibrations to study bee behaviour (1/2)
Honey bees perceive vibrations over a broad range of frequencies and are known to actively build and shape the comb of their hives to promote vibration transmission. Several honey bee vibrations are known to science, but only a handful have so far been explored and characterised in detail. B-GOOD consortium members from TNTU have recently developed tools to measure vibrations in a honey bee colony (see Practice Abstract 13).
Analysing the vibrational data measured in a honey bee colony has recently revealed a new vibration, called the “purring bee” signal. To better understand the function of this signal, machine learning was used to automatically detect these vibrations in measurements taking place over the long-term. The results of this monitoring revealed that these purring signals are most commonly very short (0.2 sec long), but can be as long as 20 sec. Although the signal can also be artificially stimulated by gently pressing on a bee’s wing joints, its potential function in the colony remains unknown. Further exploring vibrational measurements using machine learning will undoubtedly provide more insights into the secret life of honey bees.
Source Project
Ongoing | 2019-2023
Giving Beekeeping Guidance by cOmputatiOnal-assisted Decision making (B-GOOD)
Ongoing | 2019-2023
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Belgium