Acoustic Sensors for Pollinators

Insect monitoring technology using bioacoustics to detect real-time pollinator data.
Nature Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain

Problem Addressed

Encouraging healthy pollinator communities is challenging but crucial for our planet and food production.  

Currently, many fruit producers will rely on purchasing bumblebee boxes or partnering with local beekeepers to introduce beehives to improve pollination. Whilst this meets the short-term pollination needs for food production, in the longer-term this causes less food available for native pollinators, causing widespread biodiversity decline and over-reliance on managed species. Collecting pollinator data can help make the right decisions to protect biodiversity. 

Solution Overview

Agrisound’s new insect monitoring technology automatically ​detects the levels of insects within a local environment. The sensors collect near real-time pollinator data to help make decisions on how best to support local insect communities and help organisations learn how to transform the way they operate to benefit biodiversity.  

The sensors are optimised for attracting pollinators – size, shape and colour promote visits from a broad spectrum of local insects and can be detected through the use of a ​specialised acoustic sensor. ​​Data is transmitted via a cellular connection and accessed via AgriSound’s secure data storage platform. Users can view data in near real-time on the user interface, highlighting areas of low pollinator activity and suggesting simple interventions to increase numbers.  

Users can produce bespoke reports for different stakeholders at business, farm and site levels for easy integration into board packs or meeting notes.  

AgriSound’s technology can be used as a valuable tool for educators and to facilitate collaborative projects between schools and local farms or conservation organisations. Students can learn about the different types of pollinators, their habitats, and the importance of pollinator conservation for crop production.  

AgriSound is on a mission to install 1 million of their sensors worldwide.  

Company name

AgriSound

UK availability

Yes

Solution launch date

January 2022

Links

Read More

Case Study

AgriSound has teamed up with M&S Select Farms to provide in-field noise sensor technology to help farmers track pollinators to maintain quality of produce and improve crop yields and support biodiversity. Following two successful trials with M&S, AgriSound’s Polly™ devices have been rolled out across an additional 18 sites across the UK. These specialist listening devices will cover 8% of M&S British growers, with monitors covering 120 habitats and over 1000 hectares.

More information about this initiative can be found at the link below.

M&S rolls out AgriSound technology boosting pollinator activity to 18 farms across the UK

Facts and Figures

3 Year

warranty for all hardware

24/7

data availability

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