Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Daffynition
Mu hubby and I are hobbyist beekeepers. At one of the State Bee Keepers meetings (Georgia) we attended, our speaker was from the University of Montana and he spoke about their research in training honeybees. It was amazing.

Here is a quote from their work:

UM scientists have trained bees to detect land mines and pollution, but they haven’t stopped there. Now a new video released in time for Griz-Cat football week shows the flying insects can be trained to prefer the Griz over the Bobcats.

The video was produced by Bee Alert Technology Inc., a University spin-off company formed to market UM’s new bee-training science. The video shows a bee flying through a maze -- entering holes with a Griz logo and avoiding those with a Montana State University logo -- as the UM Fight Song plays.

Larry Tarver, a computer software engineer with Bee Alert, said the bees are trained to seek out a sugar solution. He said Scott Debnam, the company’s senior field research technician and resident "bee whisperer," trained them to seek the Griz and avoid the ’Cats in about two hours.

“In fact, of the 60,000 bees in one hive, only one went for the MSU sticker,” Tarver said. “We let that one go.”

While the training is amusing, he said, it has a practical application of helping researchers understand how bees use both visual cues and smell to find a reward.

Here is a link to their amazing video of the maze they set up. Griz bees video on YouTube

7 posted on 10/26/2008 8:07:06 AM PDT by Apple Pan Dowdy (... as American as Apple Pie)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Apple Pan Dowdy

Animal, especially birds and insects, do astonishing things but I think some of the attributes, accomplishments we give them say more about us that the subjects of our research.


14 posted on 10/26/2008 8:54:22 AM PDT by Peter Horry (Mount Up Everybody and Ride to the Sound of the Guns .. Pat Buchanan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

To: Apple Pan Dowdy
I love this! Thanks for posting it. In the scheme of things we know so little about the critters that surround us.

Look at this snail maze, e.g., I mean really ...


29 posted on 10/26/2008 1:35:58 PM PDT by Daffynition (The most terrifying words in the English langauge are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson