Honeybees Could Help In Clearing Of 1990s Balkans War Minefields

posted 20 May 2013, 05:47 by Mpelembe Admin [ updated 20 May 2013, 05:48 ]

Croatia (Next Media) - Researchers in Croatia have found a way that the humble honeybee can help to clear up a deadly legacy of the 1990s Balkan wars.

The researchers are training the bees to help find landmines. The bees are trained by adding particles of TNT to sugar solution which leads the bees to identify the smell of explosives with the scent of food.

The scientists hope that once the bees associate the smell of TNT with food they will help to locate explosives in landmines still buried in the ground.

Estimates suggest there are at least 750 square kilometers (466 square miles) of uncleared mine fields left over from the 1990s Balkan wars.

SOURCES: Sky News

http://news.sky.com/story/1092705/honeybees-may-help-search-for-landmines

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