By Scout Nelson
Sulaymon Eshkabilov, assistant professor at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in agricultural and biosystems engineering, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award. The $650,000, five-year award will support his research on honeybee health, a critical issue given the declining bee populations that threaten global crop production.
Honeybees are essential pollinators, contributing to the production of over $15 billion worth of crops in the United States each year. Eshkabilov's research will focus on understanding honeybee communication systems, specifically the response signals that bees use to communicate within their colonies. By studying these signals, Eshkabilov aims to create innovative ways to monitor bee health, using wireless sensor networks equipped with Edge AI technology.
This research comes at a critical time. A recent survey from Project Apis M revealed that commercial beekeepers in the U.S. lost 62% of their colonies from June 2024 to February 2025. North Dakota, a leading honey producer, plays a key role in the nation's pollination needs.
Eshkabilov's study will use advanced technologies to better understand how bees respond to environmental changes and disturbances, providing insights that can improve beekeeping practices. Additionally, the research may help reduce the mortality rates of honeybees during transportation, a major issue for beekeepers in North Dakota.
Photo Credit: north-dakota-state-university
Categories: South Dakota, Education