Can thermal cameras be used to find wild bumblebee nests?

What is it about?

We tested whether a thermal camera could be used to locate the heat signatures from bumblebees entering and exiting wild bumblebee nests, and compared this with human searches, a well-used technique for locating bumblebee nests.

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Why is it important?

A new technique is needed because bumblebee nests are small, and therefore human searches are unable to locate large numbers of nests quickly. Locating bumblebee nests will allow us to better identify the habitats which are most important to them in terms of nesting sites for different species.