[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/5785\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow are the bees doing?\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWild species such as honey bees are said by researchers to be responsible for pollinating around one-third of the world\u0027s crop production. But concern across Europe about the collapse of bee populations has triggered a heated debate about the possible causes and remedies.\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003EThe three-year \u2018Swarmonitor\u2019 project aims to produce a prototype for a product which will offer hope to Europe\u0027s besieged beekeepers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers aim to monitor and decode the buzzing of bees in the hive and pass vital information to beekeepers via wireless technology.\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E The goal is to develop a hi-tech method of using accelerometers \u2013 devices which are sensitive to tiny vibrations \u2013 to detect\u0026nbsp;and translate\u0026nbsp;the vibrations caused by bees during their activities.\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E A team led by Nottingham Trent University in the UK wants to develop methods to transfer wirelessly instant alerts to the beekeeper, either via email or SMS, so that they can intervene and manage their colonies accordingly.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018This research could give us those vital, lifesaving early signs of problems allowing us to tend to our bees much sooner, giving us the equivalent of the golden hour in human first aid\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDavid Bancalari, Bee Farmers Association, UK \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are 600\u0026nbsp;000 beekeepers in Europe, mainly SME family-owned companies and it\u0027s an industry that generates some EUR 400 million. However, the European Union has a net negative trade-balance in bee products, mainly honey, producing only 54\u0026nbsp;% of its demand.\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E Despite its importance and the obvious potential for growth, serious problems face the sector, with both bee populations and beekeeper numbers falling at an alarming rate, while honey imports to the EU have risen by 20 % since 2001. \u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E Action to halt the decline is clearly urgently needed, hence the \u0027Swarmonitor\u0027 initiative.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETeam leader is Dr Martin Bencsik, who said: \u2018The idea is for us to produce a product for use by beekeepers which will measure potential problems in the hive.\u2019\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E \u2018For example, increased buzzing could be a sign of bee disorder. A \u201cswarming\u201d event could be an indicator of another problem and can lead to loss of bees. The device we hope to produce at the end of the project would be designed to trigger an alarm in such an eventuality. This in turn would alert the beekeeper to the need to open the hive.\u2019\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E Dr Bencsik, a physicist and researcher in the university\u0027s School of Science and Technology, added, \u2018It may be necessary to open the hive to give extra food to the bees or supply medication if, say, there is a mite infestation.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDetecting early signs of problems\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E The project\u0027s overall objective is to provide an early warning system which allows small and hobby beekeepers the opportunity to more closely manage their colonies.\u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Dr Martin Bencsik is a physicist and researcher in the university\u0027s School of Science and Technology, at the Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Courtesy of Martin Bencsik\u0022 height=\u0022300\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/HO3-bee-MartinBencsik.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Dr Martin Bencsik is a physicist and researcher in the university\u0027s School of Science and Technology, at the Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Courtesy of Martin Bencsik\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EDr Martin Bencsik is a physicist and researcher in the university\u0027s School of Science and Technology, at the Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Courtesy of Martin Bencsik\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003EDr Martin Bencsik is a physicist and researcher in the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Courtesy of Martin Bencsik\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003EThe research, said Dr Bencsik, is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of beekeeping, making it far less time-consuming and costly.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study, funded by the EU, also involves the European Professional Beekeepers Association in Germany and the National Institute for Agricultural Research in France.\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E SMEs, including the Research and Information Centre for Bee Culture in Belgium, Germany\u0027s CAP GmbH, Szomel Services and Trade LLC of Hungary, are also collaborating.\u003Cbr\u003E \u003Cbr\u003E David Bancalari, of the Bee Farmers Association (UK), said the early information would give bee keepers critical advance warning. \u2018For years we have been struggling to improve the health of our bees and we know intervention is crucial. This research could give us those vital, lifesaving early signs of problems allowing us to tend to our bees much sooner - giving us the equivalent of the golden hour in human first aid.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYves Le Conte, of the National Institute for Agricultural Research, added: \u2018This research is particularly stimulating as it can lead to a new modern way of managing hives.\u2019 \u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EPollinators under scrutiny\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EAnother EU-funded research programme also aims to improve understanding of the nature and causes of the threats facing bees. The \u0027Status and Trends of European Pollinators\u0027 project (STEP) will document the nature and extent of the decline in wild pollinator populations, including bees, and develop a \u0027red list\u0027 of important European pollinator groups. It will also assess the relative importance of potential drivers of pollinator decline, including climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, and agrichemicals.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-qh7gv4zpd39vs8u6s3pkce7dnrnhvgkp3tahain2mkg\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-Qh7gv4Zpd39vS8U6s3pkCE7dnrNHVGkp3tahAIn2Mkg\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]