RFID Tracking: Where It Fits in an Entomologist’s Toolbox

Radio frequency identification tracking, commonly known as RFID, is revolutionizing what is possible in entomology, but what is it about this technology used in retail inventory, package tracking, and contactless credit cards that is useful for studying insects? For thousands of years, humans have tried to track insects. Bees were tracked by looking for droppings on leaves. RFID does not allow me to track the full movement trace of an individual over time, but rather it will record whenever an individual passes by the location of an RFID reader.