Here is a quote from their work:
UM scientists have trained bees to detect land mines and pollution, but they havent 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 UMs 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 companys 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
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.
Look at this snail maze, e.g., I mean really ...