Researchers at the University of Guelph have launched an innovative project called "Bluetooth for Bees" to monitor bumblebee behavior and flight patterns. This initiative involves attaching lightweight Bluetooth trackers to 50 bumblebee queens—30 wild and 20 commercial—before releasing them into the Guelph Arboretum in April. The trackers, which are powered by small solar panels, do not hinder the bees' flight capabilities. Graduate student Marianne Goulet and her advisor, Professor Nigel Raine, invite Arboretum visitors to participate in the research by enabling Bluetooth on their devices, which will help track the bees' movements without compromising personal data. This project not only aims to distinguish between captive and wild bumblebees but also seeks to enhance understanding of their population dynamics, which is crucial for conservation efforts. Goulet plans to extend the use of this technology to track Monarch butterflies during their migration in the fall. The research will continue until July, when the bumblebee queens will burrow underground to establish their colonies, marking a significant step in ecological research and conservation.