A novel electronic gate that identifies and counts bees based on their RGB backscattered light

Abstract

In this work, we present an electronic gate that aims to extract a deeper representational signal of the color characterization of the main body of an insect, namely: a) we record the backscattered light and not the extinction light as commonly done, b) a color sensor analyses backscattered light to individual RGB channels independently to grasp the melanization, microstructural and color features of the wing and body of the insects passing the gate. We present all the necessary details to reproduce the device and we analyze many insects of interest like the bee Apis mellifera and the wasp Polistes gallicus. The electronic gate is attached to the entrance of the beehive and counts foraging activity. The backscattered light intensity can quantify the size of the incoming insect and discern a drone and a worker bee from a queen bee while the color measurements aim to recognize invasive species so that the gate closes and the beekeepers are alerted.