First results of AI bee monitoring device in a pilot study by Eurofins Agroscience Services

Eurofins Agroscience Services (EAS), the leading global service provider for agrochemical testing, has conducted a pilot study using an AI-based hive monitoring system to establish daily bee losses in the field.

The objective of the study was to determine the natural variability of forager losses without treatment in comparison with hives exposed to a neonicotinoid. The visual technology developed by apic.ai, records ingress and egress of bees from the hive entrance and calculates the actual loss of forager bees with the help of neural networks. The device was attached to the hive entrance filming all bees entering and leaving. The AI tracks each bee filmed. Over time, the algorithm's reliability of bee recognition improves. In future it can also be trained to detect pollen or differentiate bees and other species.

The apic.ai monitoring device offers new possibilities for research, for instance, currently; it is not known what level of bee mortality can be considered as naturally occurring daily bee losses. Continuous tracking using AI can help establish this, and allows the reliable assessment of the impact external factors have on the bees.

The results of the study were presented at the recent ICPPR meeting in Bern, Switzerland and SETAC NA in Toronto, USA. 

Please contact Dr. Silvio Knaebe Head of Ecotoxicology [Field] if you have any questions on the pilot study.

Bee hive with monitoring device by apic.ai and dead bee trap