Ten thousand bees were equipped with tracking sensors in a global research program

Miniscule sensors have been glued to the backs of 10,000 healthy honey bees around the world to help understand why huge numbers of bees are dying.

Like electronic tags that track the movement of cars through toll roads, these tiny trackers send information back to receivers half the size of a credit card that are strategically placed at bee hives.

Australian researchers involved in the global research project compare the sensor to an adult carrying a backpack, weighing about a third of what a honey bee can carry.

But unlike the average backpacker, this extra load will remain in place for the rest of the bee's life. (MTI)