We describe the development, field testing, and results from an automated 3D insect flight detection and tracking system for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) that is capable of providing remarkable insights into airborne behavior. It comprises two orthogonally mounted video cameras with an observing volume of over 200 m3 and an offline analysis software system that outputs 3D space trajectories and inflight statistics of the target honey bees. The imaging devices require no human intervention once set up and are waterproof, providing high resolution and framerate videos. The software module uses several forms of modern image processing techniques with GPU-enabled acceleration to remove both stationary and moving artifact while preserving flight track information. The analysis system has thus far provided information not only on flight statistics (such as speeds and accelerations), but also on subtleties associated with flight behavior by generating heat maps of density and classifying flight patterns according to patrol and foraging behavior. Although the results presented here focus on behavior in the locale of a beehive, the system could be adapted to study a wide range of airborne insect activity.

中文翻译：

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蜜蜂（膜翅目：蜜蜂科）视觉跟踪系统3D飞行轨迹重建与分析

我们描述了蜜蜂 (Apis mellifera L.)（膜翅目：蜜蜂科）自动化 3D 昆虫飞行检测和跟踪系统的开发、现场测试和结果，该系统能够提供对空中行为的卓越见解。它包括两个正交安装的摄像机，观察体积超过200立方米，以及一个离线分析软件系统，可输出目标蜜蜂的3D空间轨迹和飞行统计数据。成像设备一旦安装完毕，无需人工干预，并且防水，可提供高分辨率和帧率视频。该软件模块使用多种形式的现代图像处理技术以及 GPU 加速功能来消除静止和移动伪影，同时保留飞行轨迹信息。迄今为止，该分析系统不仅提供了有关飞行统计数据（例如速度和加速度）的信息，还通过生成密度热图并根据巡逻和觅食行为对飞行模式进行分类，提供了与飞行行为相关的微妙信息。尽管这里介绍的结果侧重于蜂巢区域的行为，但该系统可以适用于研究各种空气传播的昆虫活动。