How AI and US researchers are decrypting the audible world of insects

Researchers at UMass Amherst examine how effectively AI can recognise various insect species using only sound indicators. This research could help advance the discipline of bioacoustics, which is the study of animal sounds in the natural world. For instance, honeybees produce varied sounds in response to airborne toxins. — Image by chandlervid85 on Freepik

Tiny, veined wings beat rapidly over a feast of goldenrod illuminated by a late summer sun.

Without even turning her back, Anna Kohlberg knows if it’s a honeybee or bumblebee, just based on the buzz and gyrations. She learned how to make the distinction during hundreds of hours of field work while she was an undergrad student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.