Page 31 - Green knowledge 2023

The bumblebee whisperer
Many animals have fantastic noses. Dogs sniff out drugs, pigs unearth truffles, and rats search for landmines. Insects, too, can excel with a keen sense of smell.
In Norway, we rely on greenhouses to cultivate toma- toes, but not only tomato plants thrive in the warm and humid climate of the greenhouse. A greenhouse also provides favourable conditions for certain plant-harming fungi, which can lead to significant economic losses. Rapid detection and treatment of infected plants could be effective in preventing the spread of the fungus. However, identifying infected plants is challenging.
In the HumleSans (BumblebeeSense) project, researchers train bumblebees to sniff out infected plants. The bumblebees are trained to associate the scent of diseased tomato plants with food.
The researchers select the most active bumblebees in the colony. These are put into hibernation and secured in a “bumblebee chair.” Here, they are presented with the scent and sugar water. They use their antennae to smell and their tongues to lick up
the sweet liquid. This presentation of scent and sugar water is repeated ten times. Eventually, the bees will stick out their tongues only when they detect the scent, and the reflex is established.
Initially, the bumblebees are trained to respond to classic scents associated with flowers. Over time, the researchers will see if they can teach the bumblebees to recognize scents associated with fungus-infected tomato plants. If successful, there is hope that tomato producers can use bumblebees in green- houses to sniff out infected plants.
The bumblebees can also leave traces on the plants they visit. They get a little paint on their legs, allowing them to mark the plants they touch. Large amounts of paint spots on a plant can be a sign that it is infected. This way, one can detect infected plants early and take measures to prevent the spread of the infection.
Photo: Endre Mogstad Ananiassen
Purpose:
Funding: Contact:
Innovative concept with high potential providing a basis for future-oriented solutions to current issues.
FS-Pilot, NIBIO
Research Scientist Dmitry Kechasov. Email: dmitry.kechasov@nibio.no, Phone: (+47) 404 67 991. Division of Food Production and Society
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