Range-resolved optical detection of honeybees by use of wing-beat modulation of scattered light for locating land mines.

An imaging lidar instrument with the capability of measuring the frequency response of a backscattered return signal up to 3.6 kHz is demonstrated. The instrument uses a commercial microchip frequency-doubled pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a 7.2 kHz pulse repetition rate, a pulse duration of less than 1 ns, and a pulse energy of greater than 10 microJ. A 15.2 cm commercial telescope is used to collect the backscattered signal, and a photomultiplier tube is used to monitor the scattered light. This instrument is designed for range- and angle-resolved optical detection of honeybees for explosives and land-mine detection. The instrument is capable of distinguishing between the scattered light from honeybees and other sources through the frequency content of the return signal caused by the wing-beat modulation of the backscattered light. Detection of honeybees near a bee hive and spatial mapping of honeybee densities near feeders are demonstrated.