The Bee's Knees

Apparently bees have such good sniffers that they can identify hundreds of different aromas. Bees are even being used to help sniff out bombs and are, in some circles, considered superior to bomb-sniffing dogs. If only they could communicate with us they might be able to help us pick out good wines and avoid the bad ones.

Well, leave it to the Aussies people! CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia, is working on an electronic nose to distinguish between good and bad wine. They are using bee’s noses to research how best to develop the machine by blowing different scents at bees and measuring how they react. Something tells me the bees will be partial to floral aromas and honey-like smells. Sauternes anyone?