Nature New Brunswick has begun deploying solar-powered Bluetooth tags on monarch butterflies to track their annual migration to Mexico.. By utilizing a specialized smartphone app, the organization is enabling citizen scientists to log the real-time movement of these insects across the province.
The 0.066-gram BlauMorpho tags and eyelash glue
The technical shift in tracking monarch butterflies represents a move toward high-precision, low-impact monitoring. according to the report, Nature New Brunswick is using BlauMorpho tags that weigh a mere 0.066 grams, which are secured to the butterfly's thorax using a small amount of eyelash glue. These devices feature a solar-powered antenna that runs along the insect's abdomen, allowing them to transmit data without the need for bulky batteries that would hinder flight.
Unlike previous methods that relied on the chance discovery of a tagged insect, these Bluetooth tags communicate directly with any smartphone that comes within approximately 100 metres. As the report says, the devices automatically log the sex of the monarch, the time, and the precise location, creating a passive data network that does not require researchers to recapture the butterflies to learn where they have traveled.
From Point Lepreau to Nova Scotia: Mapping wind-driven detours
The deployment has already provided concrete evidence regarding the importance of specific geographic landmarks. Data from the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, situated on a peninsula in the Bay of Fundy, has confirmed that the site is a critical stopover for monarchs moving northeast. Specifically, three butterflies tagged at Point Lepreau (identified by the prefix PLBO) were successfully tracked reaching Grand Manan.
The technology is also revealing how unpredictable weather alters migratory paths. This season, strong westerly winds pushed three tagged monarchs off their typical southern course and diverted them toward Nova Scotia. Jim Wilson, a naturalist at the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, notes that tracking these individual routes is essential for identifying the river valleys, coastlines, and mountain ranges that serve as natural corridors for the species.
Customs delays and the 13 missing tags
Despite the technological success, the project has faced significant bureaucratic hurdles. Nature New Brunswick received funding from the Environmental Trust Fund of New Brunswick and ten tags from the federal government,with an ultimate goal of deploying 35 tags this season. However, customs delays have stalled a portion of the shipments, leaving about half of the organization's expected tags stuck at the border.
Currently, Nature New Brunswick has 22 tags ready for deployment before the season ends, but the remaining 13 tags remain in limbo. This raises a critical question regarding the efficiency of importing specialized conservation equipment: why are these lightweight research tools being held up by customs during a time-sensitive migratory window? Furthermore, it remains unclear if the loss of these 13 data points will significantly diminish the statistical reliability of the current season's mapping efforts.
Replacing wing stickers with the Project Monarch app
This initiative is part of a broader trend toward the "democratization" of wildlife research, moving away from the traditional practice of placing numbered stickers on butterfly wings and hoping for a manual report.. This new model follows a successful pilot program conducted in southern Ontario through a partnership between Birds Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
By using the free Project Monarch app, any member of the public can scan for nearby tags and view their locations on a map. This shift transforms the general public into a distributed sensor network,providing a level of detail in migration mapping that was previously impossible. This blueprint for accessible technology could potentially be applied to other migratory species that are too small for traditional satellite telemetry.
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