The fact that dogs with her good sence of smell can find explosives, is known. However, now Croatian brisk bees have trained to sniff the smell of TNT in mines. The first experiments are promising. More than 1,000 square kilometres of land surface are contaminated in Croatia mines. Since 1998 more than 100 people were killed by the explosion of mines. What prepares special brainwork for the experts, are those mines remained in the earth which could not be tracked down by the minesweepers up to now. Now, therefore, researchers of the university of Zagreb develop a new method of detecting mines. Besides, the bees are coached to sniff explosive in the mines. In Croatia the beekeeping is, fortunately, a tradition, according to Nikola Kezic, professor for agriculture and project manager since centuries. Kezic is an expert for beekeeping and works for three years on the experiment. Because these mines would pass TNT to a large part of the explosive, they are for the bees lighter on perceptibly, explains Kazic further. The first experiments in a controlled sphere have run extremely promisingly. Besides, the researchers had released the bees in a tent in which food with explosive coated was hidden. The idea behind it is easy: Bees should identify explosive as food. The training of bees on the chemical substances lasts from about three to four days, according to Kezic.

Indeed, the experts are nowadays still in the experimental phase. It is not certain yet whether older or younger bees are better suitable for the task. It is a matter of plumbing the best variation from the single attempts. The bees would have to increase her sensitivity compared with the explosive smell, explains the researcher. Even if it looks very good nowadays, it will still last, before it functions really dependably.

Other animals were used in test attempts already than minesweeper: In Africa a special rat’s kind is bred which is able with her fine sence of smell to put out also low tracks of explosive. Also dogs stand as an explosive prier quite high in the course. Nevertheless, experts think that the bigger weight of these animals is disadvantageous. Besides, the trace search with light weights like the bees offers substantially more possibilities.