The kinetic energy of bees in flight is being harnessed to power tiny radio frequency ID tags used to monitor bees.

It is like the idea to give light to African school children from batteries in footballs charged by the kids' play.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 4 minutes 22 seconds 4 m 22 s CSIRO research scientist Dr Stephen Quarrell ( Rose Grant ) Download 2 MB

But the bee-powered batteries in the sensing technology are microscopic in size.

"The end sensor that we're working on is self-perpetuating," CSIRO research fellow, Dr Stephen Quarrell said.

"There's a little energy generation unit that has little moving parts that vibrate and move about as the bee actually flies.

"And then it has a little micro-battery that stores energy to power the sensor itself."

The CSIRO self-powering technology is being miniaturised to produce longer-life technology at a lower cost.

At just under 3mm square, the self-powered "swarm sensor" tags can be fitted to the backs of bees.

Key points: Sensor fitted on back of bees

Sensor fitted on back of bees Movement of bees tracked

Movement of bees tracked Micro battery powered by bee's own energy

Dr Quarrell said CSIRO's micro-electro-mechanical systems technology engineers were aiming for devices 1mm in size that could be used on smaller insects, suh as mosquitoes.

"We set ourselves a stretch target, especially from the technology development end," he said.

"You've really got to challenge yourself to try and reach goals like we're aiming for. It's science fiction really isn't it? It's amazing."

Sensors used widely in agricultural applications

Sensors are being used to keep track of livestock, produce, and other inventory.

The technology is helping farmers lift yields, transform food chains and freight logistics, and in an array of agricultural research, including the Australian CSIRO "swarm sensing project".

It made news worldwide two years ago when thousands of 2.5mm x 2.5mm sensors were fitted to the backs of the bees and used for environmental monitoring near Hobart, Tasmania.

"After the initial media coverage, which went to over 200 million people worldwide, we've started the global initiative for honeybee health," Dr Quarrell said.

"It's a lot of scientists working in that field of bee research, networking together in using the technology that we're producing, to try and understand the global declines that we're seeing in honey bees.

"It's also moved onto other species as well, that are equally economically important, especially in some of the impoverished regions of Brazil or Mexico, and things like that."

Dr Quarrell said applications included research into pollination of the large rainforest Brazil nut trees by native insects and monitoring radiation levels from Chernobyl in English bumble bees.

CSIRO is monitoring the behaviour of honey bees using tiny radio frequency ID tags and sensors. ( Supplied )

His own research in Tasmania is looking at how chemicals used to control the parasitic mite, Varroa, affect bee behaviour, as implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder around the world.

"The big work this season, except for more technology development stuff, is looking at the impacts of the miticides that are used to control Varroa," Dr Quarrell said.

"[Varroa] is a little parasitic mite that is everywhere, in all bee countries except for Australia.

"The pesticides that they've tested and are used overseas are deemed to be safe on bees, but a lot of that is, I think, an artefact of the way they test pesticides.

"It's more about whether they're lethal to the bee rather than what we call a sub-lethal effect.

"It might disorientate the bee so it can't find its way back to the hive, or when it does its little waggle dance, it tells the bees to go off in the wrong direction, or it impacts its memory so it can't find the foraging patch that it's been to... all these sorts of effects.

"That's what we're really interested in."