Otherways- Fiction Fanatics

The scars war leaves behind are many, and deep. Individuals fighting in these words give life, limb, and mental health in service to whatever cause they believed in. It’s a terrible business, and the aftermath can be even worse, especially for those attempting to survive in a place ravaged by war.

Not only does war destroy the infrastructure of their country and throw their economy into the proverbial toilet, it also often leaves behind the gifts that keep on giving: land mines and unexploded ordinance. We’re familiar with using teams of trained military personnel, or even trained canine units, to eliminate this threat. Other places have had to get slightly more creative in their disposal efforts.

Bees, for example. According to a July 2013 Reuters news article, Croatian scientists used trained hives of bees to detect the mines left behind from their 1991-1995 war. If you are as dubious as I was about the whole trained insect concept, you can view a video at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/592114.htm .

Although hives of bees are far cheaper to maintain than human disposal teams, don’t complain about injuries, and don’t need retirement plans, I’m still extremely confused as to both how one decided that bees were the ideal choice for this situation and how in the hell one trains a hive of bees in the first place. I’ve trained a lot of dogs and horses, halter trained calves, sheep and goats, and even had some very limited success training cats. At least the cats now recognize the voice of imminent doom and know when to hide. Insects pretty much ignore me, or try to eat me. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground.

Cambodia, on the other hand uses a much more obvious approach. Pouched rats. Whenever I have a bomb problem, that’s the second thing I think I need, right after the bees. A swarm of trained pouched rats.

I shouldn’t knock it though, it works. Since 1979 more than 20,000 Cambodians have died due to land mines left from their civil war, and the rats are very effective. They have a highly developed sense of smell, train easily, and with both high agility and a body weight too low to trigger the mines, they certainly are safer to use than humans. Plus, they are pretty darn cute running about in their tiny little harnesses saving lives.

Problems, especially life threatening ones like landmines, have a way of bringing out the innovative sides of people. I find both solutions to be surprising, and though the word is overused, even inspiring. Using what advantages you have, however strange or small, to change the world in a good way is pretty special.

I still want to know how you train a bee, though.

Cheers,

Michelle