Apparently one of the current 'Hi-Tech' projects in the UK at the moment is, wait for it, developing sniffer honeybees.
Basically you train your bee so it associates the smell of explosive with the smell of food (sugar). Then you sellotape your bee into a little yellow plastic case so just its head is sticking out, fan some air over it, and when your high-tech trainer sniffer bee smells explosive in the air it sticks its tongue out.
There are pictures. It is the most adorable thing ever =)
Basically you train your bee so it associates the smell of explosive with the smell of food (sugar). Then you sellotape your bee into a little yellow plastic case so just its head is sticking out, fan some air over it, and when your high-tech trainer sniffer bee smells explosive in the air it sticks its tongue out.
There are pictures. It is the most adorable thing ever =)