Dutch researchers have trained honey bees to detect the specific scent given off by people who are infected with the coronavirus and identify them by sticking out their little bee tongues, the Washington Post reports.
Scientists have long known that animals’ superior senses, particularly their senses of smell and taste, can identify physical ailments in humans. Dogs, for example, have been trained to assist people experiencing seizures or having diabetic episodes.
While traditional laboratory tests are by far more accurate in identifying patients, trained bees could be an inexpensive way to do a preliminary scan of people, thereby reducing the need for more expensive lab tests.
“Not all laboratories have that, especially in smaller-income countries,” said Wim van der Poel, a professor at Wageningen University, which led the research. “Bees are everywhere, and the apparatus is not very complicated.”
The Dutch researchers trained the bees using a taught Pavlovian response: when they correctly identified someone with a coronavirus infection, the bees would stick out their tongue to get a bit of sugar water. Within hours of training, the bees would stick out their tongues automatically.
Using multiple bees to test a single subject would increase the accuracy of the identification.