At 12:58 PM 9/22/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Rajiv asked:
>Does anyone know about any sort of tracking system applied to any kind of
>bees in the past ?

I could have sworn that I had seen a miniature transmitter used for this
purpose in a journal/magazine several years ago.  I doubt it's transmitting
range was very good, but electronics have gotten much better since
then.  Likely it would have to be custom designed and manufactured.  A good
project perhaps for EE grad students in microcircuit design.

Google turns up some potentially useful hits.

A radar marker which can track insects up to 100m in air (no battery needed).
     http://www.globaltechnoscan.com/28feb-5march/insects.html
    http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/telemtry/pulsetra.htm

A 'grain of salt' transmitter (2km range)
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrust/biosci/cbs/mayo_ab.html



>Marking bees at the hive and then checking for the marked bees at the food
>source is the only method I am aware of.

I've never marked workers, but it was interesting the first year I had one
NWC hive (the rest were all italian).  The dark bee stood out among the
golden italians.  I found it interesting how much (attempted) robbing
(italians trying to get into the NWC hive) was going on in the height of
the honey flow.

-Tim

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