About BeeMachine

BeeMachine was created by Brian Spiesman and developed in collaboration with Claudio Gratton and other members of Team BeeMachine. Web and mobile app development by Brian Spiesman and Germinate.

About BeeMachine

Support

BeeMachine was funded by USDA NIFA, the National Science Foundation, and Kansas State University. Computer vision models were developed with open data from the Global Biodiversity Infrastructure Facility (GBIF), our own imaging efforts, and data contributed by community science projects including the Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade, the Hanamaru Maruhana Project, and the Vi Un Abejorro project. We are grateful to the organizers and volunteer participants of these programs that share their images and taxonomic expertise. Images were also provided by David Cappaert and the Isaacs Lab at MSU, Jerry Cole, and from ongoing collaborations with the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum and the USDA ARS Pollinating Insect-Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit.

Our Computer Vision Model

Our Computer Vision Model

BeeMachine is able to identify bee species from around the world. But if it isn't sure about the species it will give a genus-level prediction. Because flowers are often visited by other kinds of insects that can sometimes be confused with bees, we now include the ability to differentiate bees from wasps, flies, beetles, and butterflies/moths. Overall test accuracy on the current algorithm is 93.7% (99.4% top-3) but this varies by species depending on the number of training images and their level of morphological variability (see figures below). BeeMachine uses a convolutional neural network, modified from EfficientNetV2, and was trained on over 1.2 million images.

Learned Features

Neural networks learn their own set of features in images to differentiate species. Each point in this visualization represents a test image. Images with similar learned features are close together, forming clusters that correspond well with species. Thus learned features parallel real life qualities that we use to differentiate species.

Learned Features
Model Precision

Model Precision

The number of training images per species is important! More images per species means we can cover a larger range of variability in lighting, pose, background context, and variability in appearance, which increases the likelihood of a correct prediction. In this figure each point represents a different species. We can use this information to target particular species for acquiring more images to improve the classification model.

BeeMachine can recognize 354 kinds of flower visiting insects. This includes 221 bee species, 128 bee genera, and other kinds of insects like wasps, flies, hoverflies, beetles, and butterflies/moths.

Acamptopoeum sp.Agapostemon sp.Agapostemon splendensAgapostemon virescensAlloscirtetica sp.Amegilla sp.Amphylaeus sp.Ancylandrena sp.Andrena sp.Andrena barbilabrisAndrena bicolorAndrena cinerariaAndrena clarkellaAndrena denticulataAndrena dorsataAndrena dunningiAndrena erigeniaeAndrena flavipesAndrena floreaAndrena fulvaAndrena haemorrhoaAndrena hattorfianaAndrena hirticinctaAndrena milwaukeensisAndrena nigroaeneaAndrena nitidaAndrena nubeculaAndrena prunorumAndrena vagaAndrena ventralisAndrena wilkellaAnthidiellum sp.Anthidium sp.Anthidium florentinumAnthidium maculosumAnthidium manicatumAnthidium oblongatumAnthidium punctatumAnthidium septemspinosumAnthophora sp.Anthophora abruptaAnthophora bimaculataAnthophora bomboidesAnthophora californicaAnthophora furcataAnthophora pacificaAnthophora plumipesAnthophora quadrimaculataAnthophora retusaAnthophora terminalisAnthophora urbanaAnthophora villosulaAnthophorula sp.Apis sp.Apis ceranaApis dorsataApis floreaApis laboriosaApis melliferaAshmeadiella sp.Augochlora sp.Augochlorella sp.Augochloropsis sp.Bombus sp.Bombus affinisBombus alpinusBombus appositusBombus ardensBombus argillaceusBombus asiaticusBombus atripesBombus auricomusBombus baltatusBombus barbutellusBombus beaticolaBombus bellicosusBombus bicoloratusBombus bifariusBombus bimaculatusBombus bohemicusBombus borealisBombus brasiliensisBombus californicusBombus caliginosusBombus campestrisBombus centralisBombus cingulatusBombus citrinusBombus coccineusBombus confususBombus consobrinusBombus crotchiiBombus cryptarumBombus cullumanusBombus dahlbomiiBombus deuteronymusBombus distinguendusBombus diversusBombus ephippiatusBombus eximiusBombus fervidusBombus flavidusBombus flavifronsBombus formosellusBombus fragransBombus fraternusBombus frigidusBombus funebrisBombus griseocollisBombus haematurusBombus hediniBombus honshuensisBombus hortorumBombus hortulanusBombus humilisBombus huntiiBombus hyperboreusBombus hypnorumBombus hypocritaBombus ignitusBombus impatiensBombus insularisBombus jonellusBombus kirbiellusBombus koreanusBombus laesusBombus lapidariusBombus lapponicusBombus lucorumBombus magnusBombus mckayiBombus mediusBombus melanopygusBombus melanurusBombus mesomelasBombus mexicanusBombus mixtusBombus modestusBombus monticolaBombus morioBombus morrisoniBombus muscorumBombus nevadensisBombus niveatusBombus norvegicusBombus occidentalisBombus opifexBombus opulentusBombus pascuorumBombus patagiatusBombus pauloensisBombus pensylvanicusBombus perplexusBombus picipesBombus pratorumBombus pseudobaicalensisBombus pullatusBombus pyrenaeusBombus pyrosomaBombus pyrrhopygusBombus quadricolorBombus robustusBombus rubicundusBombus ruderariusBombus ruderatusBombus rufocinctusBombus rupestrisBombus schrenckiBombus semenoviellusBombus sicheliiBombus sitkensisBombus sonaniBombus soroeensisBombus sporadicusBombus steindachneriBombus subterraneusBombus sylvarumBombus sylvestrisBombus sylvicolaBombus ternariusBombus terrestrisBombus terricolaBombus transversalisBombus ussurensisBombus vagans/sandersoniBombus vancouverensisBombus vandykeiBombus vestalisBombus veteranusBombus volucelloidesBombus vosnesenskiiBombus weisiBombus wilmattaeBombus wurfleniiBombus zonatusBrachymelecta sp.Braunsapis sp.Cadeguala sp.Calliopsis sp.Callomelitta sp.Camptopoeum sp.Caupolicana sp.Centris sp.Ceratina sp.Ceylalictus sp.Chalepogenus sp.Chelostoma sp.Coelioxys sp.Coleoptera sp.Colletes sp.Colletes cuniculariusColletes hederaeColletes inaequalisCorynura sp.Dasypoda sp.Dasypoda hirtipesDiadasia sp.Dianthidium sp.Dieunomia sp.Dioxys sp.Diphaglossa gayiDiptera sp.Dufourea sp.Epeoloides sp.Epeolus sp.Epicharis sp.Ericrocis sp.Euaspis sp.Eucera sp.Eufriesea sp.Euglossa sp.Euhesma sp.Eulaema sp.Euryglossa sp.Exaerete sp.Exomalopsis sp.Exoneura sp.Exoneuridia sp.Florilegus sp.Gaesischia sp.Habropoda sp.Halictus sp.Halictus ligatusHalictus rubicundusHalictus scabiosaeHalictus tripartitusHeriades sp.Hesperapis sp.Holcopasites sp.Hoplitis sp.Hylaeus sp.Hylaeus leptocephalusHylaeus modestusHyleoides sp.Icteranthidium sp.Lasioglossum sp.Leioproctus sp.Lepidoptera sp.Lipotriches sp.Lithurgopsis sp.Lithurgus sp.Macrotera sp.Macropis sp.Manuelia sp.Megachile sp.Megachile ericetorumMegachile latimanusMegachile perihirtaMegachile pugnataMegachile sculpturalisMegachile xylocopoidesMegandrena sp.Melecta sp.Meliponini sp.Melissodes sp.Melissodes bimaculatusMelissodes desponsusMelissoptila sp.Melitta sp.Melitoma sp.Melitturga sp.Mellitidia sp.Meroglossa sp.Mesocheira bicolorMicralictoides sp.Nomada sp.Nomada goodenianaNomada lathburianaNomia sp.Nomioides sp.Notanthidium sp.Osmia sp.Osmia bicornisOsmia bicolorOsmia caerulescensOsmia cornutaOsmia lignariaOthinosmia sp.Oxaea sp.Pachyprosopis sp.Palaeorhiza sp.Panurginus sp.Panurgus sp.Paragapostemon coelestinusParanthidium sp.Paratetrapedia sp.Pasites sp.Patellapis sp.Peponapis sp.Perdita sp.Protandrena sp.Protosmia sp.Protoxaea sp.Pseudanthidium sp.Pseudapis sp.Pseudaugochlora sp.Pseudopanurgus sp.Ptiloglossa sp.Ptilothrix sp.Rhodanthidium sp.Rophites sp.Ruizantheda sp.Scrapter sp.Sphecodes sp.Stelis sp.Svastra sp.Syntrichalonia sp.Syrphidae sp.Systropha sp.Tetralonia sp.Tetraloniella sp.Thalestria sp.Thygater sp.Thyreus sp.Trachusa sp.Trichocolletes sp.Triepeolus sp.Wasp sp.Xenoglossa sp.Xylocopa sp.Xylocopa aestuansXylocopa augustiXylocopa caffraXylocopa californicaXylocopa flavorufaXylocopa latipesXylocopa micansXylocopa pubescensXylocopa sonorinaXylocopa tabaniformisXylocopa tenuiscapaXylocopa violaceaXylocopa virginicaZacosmia maculata