Second Nature Care Blog

The Buzz on Bees and Covid

[fa icon="calendar'] May 8, 2021 2:18:36 PM / by Dr. Isadora Guggenheim

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2021/05/07/covid-bee-testing/

Scientists may have found a new coronavirus rapid-testing method: Bees 

Scientists say they have trained bees to stick out their tongues when they detect the scent of the coronavirus.

By 

Marisa Iati

May 7, 2021 at 5:40 p.m. EDT

The fight against the coronavirus pandemic has scientists tapping an unlikely resource: the finely tuned olfactory sense of bees.

Dutch researchers on Monday said they have trained honeybees to stick out their tongues when presented with the virus’s unique scent, acting as a kind of rapid test.

Although it’s a less conventional method than lab tests, the scientists said teaching bees to diagnose the coronavirus could help fill a gap in low-income countries with limited access to more sophisticated technology, like materials for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

“Not all laboratories have that, especially in smaller-income countries,” said Wim van der Poel, a professor at Wageningen University, which led the research. “Bees are everywhere, and the apparatus is not very complicated.”

The scientists trained roughly 150 bees with a Pavlovian conditioning method in which they gave the insects a sugar-water solution each time they were exposed to the smell of the coronavirus. When the bees were presented with a sample that was negative for the virus, they received no reward.

Aside from bees that pollinate our food sources - bees are best. For certain conditions, we use homeopathic bee venom along with our I.V. Ozone MAH major autohemotherapy treatments. Apis or bee venom is wonderful for ascites. It is time to till the soil for your home organic gardens. Make sure you use organic seeds and plants. 

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Isadora Guggenheim, ND, FNP, RN, MS, CNS, LMT, owner of Second Nature Naturopathic Care, LLC
For all appointments: Tel: 845 358-8385 Fax: 845 358-2963 drguggenheim@msn.com