Bees trained to detect Covid-19 infections

Dutch researchers have trained bees, which have an unusually keen sense of smell, to identify samples infected with the coronavirus (Covid-19), a finding that they said could cut waiting times for test results to just seconds.To train the bees, scientists in the bio-veterinary research laboratory at Wageningen University gave them sugary water as a reward after showing them samples infected with Covid-19.They would get no reward after being shown a non-infected sample.Having got used to the system, the bees were able to spontaneously extend their tongues to receive a reward when presented with an infected sample, said Wim van der Poel, a professor of virology who took part in the project.“We collect normal honeybees from a beekeeper and we put the bees in harnesses,” he said. “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.”The extending of the bees’ straw-like tongues to drink is confirmation of a positive coronavirus test result, according to the researchers.It can take days to get a Covid test result, but the response from the bees is immediate.The method is also cheap, making it useful for countries where tests are scarce, they said.However, Dirk de Graaf, a professor who studies bees, insects and animal immunology at Ghent University in Belgium, said he did not see the technique replacing more conventional forms of Covid-19 testing.“It is a good idea, but I would prefer to carry out tests using the classic diagnostic tools rather than using honeybees for this. I am a huge bee lover, but I would use the bees for other purposes than detecting Covid-19,” he said.