There is an interesting note at the end of this NY Times article about honey bees being used to measure nuclear contamination. - Paul http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/science/earth/15rabbit.html?ref=science As the federal government pursues cleanups at various nuclear sites, experts have deliberately contaminated a species to further their efforts: honeybees. The Environmental Protection Agency says honeybees have been used to map radioactive materials on five federal nuclear reservations, including Hanford, as well as heavy metal pollutants. Workers position a hive at a suspect area and wait to see what the bees come back with. Researchers can measure the radioactive content of the bees’ honey or wax, but “the recommended sample is the bee itself,” the agency said. *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Access BEE-L directly at: http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L