Predicting Pollination Through the Buzzes of Busy Bees.
These days the united states spends around £500 million in rental fees alone. BIG business indeed but the units being rented are very small. They are in fact our friends the bees. Pollinating everything from almonds to grapes.
The rental of hives has become even more important with the decline in bee numbers in an attempt to ensure bumper crops. But there is no guarantee of predicting pollination, or is there?
You see tracking whether or not the bees are doing their pollinating duty has been tricky in the past at least until the crop comes in.
So what has changed? Well scientists think they now have the answer and that answer is sound.
Scientists in Missouri have determined through study that bumblebees make particular buzzes during certain situations. So by situating audio recording devices around selected crops they matched up this audio activity with visual studies and it seems that the audio activity of the bees synchronised with a healthy pollinated crop.
This correlation is now being studied further and may lead to an accurate option for farmers to predict healthy crops in the future.