Dutch researchers have trained bees to sniff out COVID-19 samples — cutting down the wait time for test results, The New York Post reports.
To train the insects, scientists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands gave them sugary water as a reward for identifying samples of the virus. The bees, which have a keen sense of smell, got no reward for showing researchers non-infected samples.
Scientists found that after the insects learned the system, they identified a positive coronavirus test result within seconds by extending their tongues for a drink.
By contrast, it can take hours or days to get a conventional COVID-19 test result. The bee method is also cheap, potentially making it useful for countries where tests are hard to come by, researchers said.
“We collect normal honeybees from a beekeeper and we put the bees in harnesses,” said Wim van der Poel, a professor of virology who took part in the project. “Right after presenting a positive sample we also present them with sugar water. And what the bees do is they extend their proboscis to take the sugar water.”