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A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning
Abstract
Pollen is the most important food source for maintaining both colony development and honey production in bee populations. Therefore, the presence of pollen in bee colonies is one of the biggest determinants of hive health. In this context, this study contributes to animal and agricultural sustainability by presenting a deep learning-based image analysis approach for the automatic detection of pollen carried by bees. The bee pollen recognition study was performed using the U-Net deep learning architecture applied to the Pollen Dataset. The U-Net model was selected due to its ability to preserve high-resolution spatial information between input images and corresponding segmentation maps, thereby improving detection accuracy. Experimental results show that the proposed model achieved a successful performance with an F1 score of 99.4%. In addition to technical performance, the study also highlights the potential applications of bee pollen detection in agriculture, particularly in supporting farmers, researchers, and policymakers with more informed decision-making processes. Overall, the findings indicate that advances in deep learning-based image analysis for pollen detection represent an important step towards promoting both environmental sustainability and agricultural resilience.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
This article does not require ethics committee approval.
The authors declare no potential conflict of interests.
References
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- Le TN, Thi-Thu-Hong P, Nguyen HD, Thi-Lan L, et al. A Novel Convolutional Neural Network Architecture for Pollen-Bearing Honeybee Recognition. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications 2023;14(8). doi:10.14569/IJACSA.2023.01408112.
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Computer Vision and Multimedia Computation (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
September 30, 2026
Submission Date
November 23, 2025
Acceptance Date
February 18, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 28 Number: 84
APA
Yılmaz, E., & Sarıkaş, A. (2026). A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen Ve Mühendislik Dergisi, 28(84), 443-448. https://doi.org/10.21205/deufmd.2026288411
AMA
1.Yılmaz E, Sarıkaş A. A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning. DEUFMD. 2026;28(84):443-448. doi:10.21205/deufmd.2026288411
Chicago
Yılmaz, Esra, and Ali Sarıkaş. 2026. “A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen Ve Mühendislik Dergisi 28 (84): 443-48. https://doi.org/10.21205/deufmd.2026288411.
EndNote
Yılmaz E, Sarıkaş A (September 1, 2026) A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen ve Mühendislik Dergisi 28 84 443–448.
IEEE
[1]E. Yılmaz and A. Sarıkaş, “A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning”, DEUFMD, vol. 28, no. 84, pp. 443–448, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.21205/deufmd.2026288411.
ISNAD
Yılmaz, Esra - Sarıkaş, Ali. “A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen ve Mühendislik Dergisi 28/84 (September 1, 2026): 443-448. https://doi.org/10.21205/deufmd.2026288411.
JAMA
1.Yılmaz E, Sarıkaş A. A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning. DEUFMD. 2026;28:443–448.
MLA
Yılmaz, Esra, and Ali Sarıkaş. “A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning”. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen Ve Mühendislik Dergisi, vol. 28, no. 84, Sept. 2026, pp. 443-8, doi:10.21205/deufmd.2026288411.
Vancouver
1.Esra Yılmaz, Ali Sarıkaş. A U-Net–Based Segmentation Approach for Honeybee Pollen Detection Using Deep Learning. DEUFMD. 2026 Sep. 1;28(84):443-8. doi:10.21205/deufmd.2026288411