P01 - Identification of Foraging Bumblebees by Pulse Compression of their Unique Doppler Radar Signature

Event
SMSI 2025
2025-05-06 - 2025-05-08
Nürnberg
Band
Poster
Chapter
Poster Session
Author(s)
H. Aumann, M. Aumann - Maine Biosensors LLC, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine (USA), F. Drummond - University of Maine, Orono, Maine (USA)
Pages
233 - 234
DOI
10.5162/SMSI2025/P01
ISBN
978-3-910600-06-5
Price
free

Abstract

A technique for observing foraging bumblebees with a 24 GHz continuous-wave Doppler radar is described. Upon departing from the colony, we discovered that foraging bumblebees accelerate briefly at a constant 9.8 m/sec2, resulting in a distinct, linear frequency modulated (LFM) radar return. By correlating this return with an expected LFM template, departing bumblebees could be identified and counted while arriving bumblebees and other environmental effects are rejected.

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