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Evaluation of off-the-shelf technologies for their potential to track Asian Hornets (Vespa velutina)
Historical: no longer open for bids.
01/ The notice
Key facts
- Value
- £65,808Estimated value stated in the notice
- Deadline (UK time)
- Wed 1 Feb 2017A deadline does not apply to this historical notice. The source records Wed 1 Feb 2017, which is not an open deadline.
- Published
- 9 Mar 2017
- Region
- Any region
02/ The brief
What the notice says
Not fully read: this is the notice text; attached documents are not read.
The overall aim is to test whether off-the-shelf insect tracking technology can be used to track Asian hornets in the wild, flying from forage sites to their nests, and thus aid nest detection. We have the following objectives:
1) Interview key Asian hornet scientists in Europe to review latest methods that have been evaluated for finding nests
2) Test effectiveness of Biotrack & RECCO tracking technologies in a range of habitats and environments likely to be suitable for Asian hornet nesting.
3) Optimise Biotrack PicoPip tag (antennal length, orientation, attachment method) for use on ~200mg flying insect
4) Optimise RECCO radar tag (antennal length, orientation, attachment method) for use on ~200mg flying insect
5) Test optimised tags on hornets (or surrogate insects) in confined conditions to confirm that insects behave and fly as expected.
6) Field test the most promising technology (Biotrack or RECCO or both) on free-flying Asian hornets in France. Test whether they can detect return flights to nests.
7) Design protocol for using technology to find nests in future, documenting constraints (e.g. environment, range, battery life), and write an instruction manual.
8) Write final report and talks for Defra, NBU and beekeepers.
03/ Classification
CPV codes
Common Procurement Vocabulary codes, exactly as the notice lists them. No descriptions are added here.
- 72222300 79312000 73110000 73430000
- 72000000 72200000 72220000 72222000 79000000 79300000 79310000 73000000 73100000 73400000
04/ History
Releases of this notice
One release held, oldest first. Dates are UK time.
- 9 Mar 2017Contract notice
Contract notice published 9 March 2017.
Release b376672f-4671-40ed-be99-fbb15ca13df1
View this release on Contracts Finder (opens in a new tab)
05/ Limits
What the source does not tell us
- Only one release is held, so there is no change history.
06/ Questions
About this notice
08/ Related
Where to go next
These links follow a fixed rule applied to this notice’s buyer, text and CPV codes. They are not advice on whether to bid.
- Reference
- b376672f-4671-40ed-be99-fbb15ca13df1
- Source
- Contracts Finder
- Stage
- contract · Contract
- Last verified
- Tue 7 Apr 2026, 16:12 BST
- Read at
- Fri 23 Oct 2026, 10:01 BST
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