Take help of a binocular tele-lens camera, and micro size flight device with bibrating sensors, with this automatic camera, You can easily find solution of your problem. On foot tracking is very difficult job because hornets have much extended range and still fly in dark.  

Bonjour Denis,

A priori la solution pour des insectes de cette gamme de taille est à rechercher dans les radars harmoniques (cf Recco, lesquels fonctionnent sur le principe d'un retour de signal passif de la part de l'insecte équipé ; passif donc besoin de batterie, donc plus légers).

Les dispositifs avec batterie (radio émetteurs classiques) sont trop lourds.

Après, une méthode traditionnelle vue dans un reportage sur des chasseurs de frelons au japon (qui cherchent à repérer des nids pour son couvain consommable) consiste à utiliser des appâts type petites boulettes de viande dans lesquelles on a passé un fil avec un petit drapeau de couleur voyante. Dans le reportage le frelon emportait l'ensemble et pouvait être suivi comme cela...(en terrain dégagé cela peut être envisagé, ou combiné à un suivi de l'insecte depuis un drone mais là cela demande surement un peu d'entrainement).

Bonjour Laurent

Intéressante la solution 'Recco', technologie détection avalanches, mais j'en étais resté à des réflecteurs de l'ordre de quelques cm. Connais tu des réflecteurs plus petits ?

Nous avons essayé déjà les petits drapeaux... mais les frelons prennet de l'altitude et il faut les suivre longtemps...

Denis

Dear Dr Ravi Kant

well foot tracking, we can forget it.

Concerning the use of tele lens camera, the hornets fly over rather long distances, they often fly in rather complicated landscapes and they can also change altitude, from ground level up to 30 meters (top of trees).

Denis Thiéry

Hello,

probably you can find information on this paper:

"RFID Tracking of Sublethal Effects of Two Neonicotinoid Insecticides on the Foraging Behavior of Apis mellifera" by Schneider et al., published on PLoS ONE 7(1): e30023. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030023

marcello 

Well, RFID is suited when labelled items cross or pass close to the Detector. In the case of honey bees returning to their hive, this is quite easy to place the detector close to the hive.

In our hornet model, we have no access to the nest and often no idea where it is located.

Denis Thiéry

I doubt if RFID tags would work for the hornets. The transponders attached to the bees were tracked by positioning an RFID scanner at the hive entrance and at a feeding station, to which the bees were trained.

I'm having the same trouble in trying to determine the hunting distance of Cerceris wasps that nest in the ground and prey on buprestid beetles in the tree canopy.  Harmonic radar isn't an option because it requires flight over open terrain (signals are lost in flight through vegetation). Radiotelemetry won't work because the antenna on the transmitter would affect entry and maneuverabilty in the nest.  I am also looking for ideas.

Thanks for answer Christine.

Yes we have a very similar problematic and I share your doubts. We explore the harmonic radar option, but sure this would be complicated as soon as insects fly through dense vegetation.

Laurent Polezuello who contributes to the discussion proposed the 'Recco' system. This system is a passive tag used to find alpinists or skiers Under avalanches. In that case the tag is not supposed to move, but the scanner does. Not sur that we can build a tridimentionnal track with that, (What do you think Laurent ?). In my mind the recco tags are also big (few cm), but there might be smaller ones.

Another option to explore could also be the use of GSM like cellular phones which can be tracked by the phone network. Not sure such option could produce a 3D pathway.

Denis   

Good ideas!  I think that my wasps are smaller than yours, however (range:30 - 160 mg), and a tag would have to be quite small to not compromise flight and ability to carry prey.

Right ! The tag weight is very important of course especially in flight. This is even more crucial in predators which bring back their prey to the nest. The prey is already overloaded and any additional weight would be problematic. Were the extra weight is located on its body is also important for the flight dynamics.

D. Th.