Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

Rats and bees in the fight against terror-what next?
Interesting article.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Using Bees to Detect Bombs

Honeybees might one day join the front line of national security.
Entomologists have long known that honeybees can be trained to detect many scents, including the olfactory footprints of deadly explosives. This latest research reinforces those findings and suggests an approach that could prove useful for finding substances in populated areas.

Technology Review: Using Bees to Detect Bombs
. . .

Honeybees can also pick explosives out of more complicated bouquets--like the myriad scents that surround a typical human being. Trained bees can identify explosives whose odors were masked by "lotions, underarm deodorants, and tobacco products," Wingo says. "Much to our surprise, the bees are capable of picking out TNT in motor oil ... Even in the presence of insect repellent, we can train them to detect TNT."