Scientific research: honey bees can locate the bodies of the missing

The results of scientific research confirmed that honey bees can become an important partner in the fight against crime, by helping them locate the bodies of missing persons, as researchers at George Mason University are investigating this matter.

According to a report published by the writer Shera Lee Bartov in the American magazine "Newsweek", researchers believe that they can capture the volatile organic compounds associated with human decomposition, and then these compounds are returned to the beehive where the clues become part of their honey, and that determining the activity of bees in Bee farms or in the wild and analyzing their proteins could help lead researchers to human remains.

Honey contains proteins with biochemical information about what bees eat (Shutterstock)

That's what's being studied at George Mason University in Virginia, where the Honeybee Initiative and the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory are collaborating to see if honey produced by bees can help investigators solve long-running crimes.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, there are more than 600,000 people missing in the United States each year, and while many of these individuals are found alive, tens of thousands are still missing, and an estimated 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered every year. public.

Because honey contains proteins with biochemical information about what bees eat;

Previous research used this information to detect pesticides in honey.

Bees naturally pick up the particles when they come into contact with flowers, water and soil, and the researchers believe they can pick up the volatile organic compounds associated with human decomposition, and return these compounds to the beehive where the honey becomes part of the clues.

outdoor crime scenes

"Outdoor crime scenes have long been a challenge for investigators, particularly locating human remains," Mary Ellen O'Toole, head of the Forensic Science Program and a former FBI agent, said in a press release.

"Bee research will allow us to scientifically prove that identifying the activity of bees in bee farms or in the wild and analyzing their proteins can help lead researchers to human remains... In this case, bees are our new partner in the fight against crime, and this is an amazing science."