Honey bees hunt for landmines in Croatia

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

ZAGREB (AFP) — Swarms of honey bees buzz over Croatian meadows in an experimental hunt for explosives, making them new recruits in authorities' efforts to clear away thousands of potentially deadly landmines.

Researchers have been carrying out tests to see how well the bees can detect the scent of explosives, a project which in turn could help rid Croatia of the estimated 250,000 mines left from the 1991-1995 Serbo-Croatian war.

"So far we had excellent results, although the desired level of bees' sensitivity is still not achieved. It is now only up to our perseverance," Nikola Kezic, an agriculture professor at Zagreb University, told AFP.

The bees are being used mainly to check areas that have already been cleared by deminers in case any have been...