The world’s honeybee population is faced with threats both natural and man-made, leading to a catastrophic collapse in population.

In October 2006, some beekeepers lost 30-90 percent of their hives, the U.S. Agricultural Research Service reported. Their tracking method of choice? It functions similarly to electronic tags that track the fast movement of vehicles moving through toll roads.

On Tuesday, the Global Initiative for Honey Bee Health was announced, which is a project that is aimed at tackling the current problem.

Along with Australian researchers, scientists from New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico and the UK are participating in the GIHH.

“The time is now for a tightly-focused, well-coordinated national and global effort, using the same shared technology and research protocols, to help solve the problems facing honey bees worldwide before it is too late”, he said. The Edison-powered monitoring systems are placed inside the beehive and records when each RFID-tagged bee passes by.

It will be a small, flexible device that will not hinder upon the bee’s life, but could greatly increase humanity’s chances at a better future.

Data will then be collected on the bees detailing any change in the movement as well as behavioral patterns in the bees in response to any stress.

Besides the goal of preventing the honeybees from being extinct, what are other reasons why scientists are so concerned? In China, people are now pollinating their crops by hand.

The process of putting a “backpack” on the thousands of honeybees is certainly not a walk in the park. The super glue lasts for the lifetime of the bee, protecting the sensor from falling off.

The researchers note that because bees are typically very predictable, any changes in their daily routine will assist them in identifying stressors in the environment.

“We’re also investigating what key factors, or combination of factors, lead to bee deaths on mass. The sensors, working in partnership with Intel software, operate in a similar way to an aeroplane’s black box flight recorder in that they provide us with vital information about what stress factors impact bee health”. The miniscule transmitters have a battery that generates energy through vibration.

The sensors work in collaboration with the Intel technology.

It all has to do with something called colony collapse disorder (CCD).

Their diet can also be blamed since they feed on genetically modified pollen and overall mismanagement of hives can contribute to their current poor state of health.