Bomb-Sniffing Bees Are Being Trained to Find Land Mines

By


European researchers have been training the pollinators to track down explosives buried during the Balkan War.

(Photo: Caravan Images/Getty Images)
A European army of bees has been given a unique (and completely flower-free) mission: to find explosives. 
Researchers in France and Croatia have raised bees that they claim are able to sniff out the thousands of unexploded mines that still dot the Balkans. The Telegraph reports that almost 120,000 land mines remain underground in identified minefields in the wake of the 1992–95 Bosnian war. Since then, hundreds of people, including de-miners, have been killed by the hidden explosives in Croatia alone. Recent weather has worsened the situation: A flood has wiped out warning signs that marked the fields and caused some land mines to resurface.












Finding the underground explosives has been costly and hazardous, so biologists turned to bees, which can detect smell as effectively as dogs. The insects cost less and are small enough not to set off explosives. 
Yves Le Conte, who directs the bee and environment unit at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, started working with Croatian scientist Nikola Kesic four years ago. 
“We knew that bees were sensitive to certain smells, like geraniums or nerol, for example,” Le Conte told The Telegraph. “The challenge was to get them to learn to spot TNT.”
His team has been training the “sniffer bees” to associate sugar with the scent of TNT. Kesic has received government funding and will run open field experiments with a colony of about 30,000 bees next month.
The United States has been developing a similar project as part of a larger study of viable military uses for insects, crustaceans, and reptiles. Another British company has been testing the odor association method to train bees as well. Scientist Rebecca Nesbit said, “Bees can detect some odors that are present in parts per trillion. That’s equivalent to detecting a grain of salt in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.”
If the “sniffer bees” prove successful, Le Conte’s team could help clear the Balkans of underground explosives. Let’s just hope that the bees don’t disappear first. 
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/05/27/bomb-sniffing-bees-will-be-deployed-look-underground-explosives?cmpid=tp-gplus

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

US Is Not Prepared For Coronavirus

By
Image
 By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance March 1, 2020 The coronavirus (COVID-19) is in its very early stages in the United States so it is too early to predict its full impacts. The World Health Organization reports that COVID-19 has  stricken more than 86,000 people around the world, killing nearly 3,000  and has spread to  at least 60 countries . The global march of COVID-19 looks unstoppable. On Friday, three new patients in California, Oregon and Washington State who had not traveled outside of the US were diagnosed with COVID-19, suggesting community transmission in the US has begun. The first death in the US happened this weekend in Washington State. The Times reports that “flawed test kits distributed to states by the CDC and strict criteria initially used for identifying potential cases  may have slowed detection of the virus  spreading within communities across the country.” The  virus is likely to spread to every corner of the nation . The economic impact
Read more

Environmental Health Resources and Links.

By
Image
The Maine Chapter of PSR is not responsible for the content of the following websites. Inclusion on this resource list does not constitute an endorsement of the information presented on the website or the website’s sponsors by the Maine Chapter of PSR.  To suggest additional resources for this list please email  psrmaine@gmail.com Plastics and Chemicals    Read  Body of Evidence: A Study of Pollution in Maine People , a study conducted by the  Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine , which found that 13 Mainers from every walk of life tested positive for 46 toxic chemicals – a snapshot that illustrates how all Mainers are exposed to chemicals from the products we use every day. Find information about the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 including fact sheets, health reports and how to get involved at the  Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families  website. What's in your toybox? Search a  database  to find health alerts on toys. The  Healthy Legacy  website features information about
Read more

CLIMATE CHANGE KENYA PARLIAMENT IS A CRIME SCENE.

By
Image
REF: DEMAND FOR RECALL AND A PROPER PROCEDURAL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023 ENGAGEMENT.   Addressed to  Kenya Senate Speaker. Dated 1st September 2023.  The world 8 Billion populace will from Monday 4-6 th September 2023, await the resolutions and commitments passed in Africa Climate Summit an e ent hosted by Government of Kenya and the African Union, its estimated over 30 World leaders have confirmed participation, and over 30,000 delegates participants, the event will therefore highlight each country in Africa their commitments towards achievement of change the planet so urgently needs. This event hosted in Kenya, will grant President Ruto an opportunity to share his vision for Africa Green, Climate- Positive Economic Growth. We therefore take this earliest opportunity to DEMAND cancellation and re advertisement of Climate Change (Amendment)   a proper invite for public participation process on Climate Change (Amendment) 2023, we also demand that the National Assem
Read more