Dutch researchers train bees to detect coronavirus
These bees can detect COVID-19
Location: Wageningen, Netherlands
Dutch researchers have trained bees to detect COVID-19 infected samples
by using their unusually keen sense of smell
Bees indicate a positive coronavirus result
by extending their straw-like tongues to drink sugar-water
(SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR IN VIROLOGY AND RESEARCH LEADER 'EMERGING AND ZOONOTIC VIRUSES' AT WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCH, WIM VAN DER POEL, SAYING:"We collect, we take the bees from honey beekeepers here in the region and we use a set of these every day and we put those bees in harnesses to fix them. Then we present coronavirus positive and coronavirus negative samples and after presenting a positive sample we always present sugar water afterwards. So in the end the bees extend their proboscis after being presented a coronavirus positive sample and in that way we can train bees pretty quickly."
Scientists say the method is cheap
and could cut the waiting time for test results to seconds
making it useful for countries where tests are scarce