# Honeybees trained to detect land mines in Croatia

2026-08-10T08:49:26+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

In 2013, Croatian scientists trained honeybees to detect the scent of TNT, aiming to help locate land mines from the Balkan wars. Professor Nikola Kezic and his team at Zagreb University conditioned the insects to associate TNT with food, then observed where they gathered. Officials estimated 90,000 mines were planted across Croatia, with 2,500 people killed by explosions since the conflict. The technique was proposed for re-checking cleared areas, using heat-sensitive cameras to track bee clusters. The work was reported by AP.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/in-2013-honeybees-were-trained-to-find-land-mines-left-behind-by-the-balkan-wars-turning-their-extraordinary-sense-of-smell-into-an-unlikely-detection-tool/articleshow/133086561.cms>

Tags: Balkan wars, Croatia, de-mining, honeybees, land mines, TNT detection
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Cite: https://indianopinion.org/honeybees-trained-to-detect-land-mines-in-croatia/#story-in-brief

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