Solutions & Good News Active Updated Sep 28, 2026
Smell-based pesticide repellents for honeybees
Where it stands as of Sep 28, 2026
UC Riverside's Anandasankar Ray screened more than 50 million compounds by machine learning for odors bees avoid, narrowed the field to about 130 candidates, and confirmed in field trials that seven reliably kept foraging bees away from treated combs without harming them. A patent application has been filed, but the compounds have not yet been deployed commercially.
The story so far
-
Sep 28, 2026 Latest
UC Riverside's Anandasankar Ray built a machine-learning model that screened more than 50 million compounds for bee-repellent odors, narrowed the field to about 130 candidates, and confirmed in field trials with freely foraging bees that seven of the compounds reliably kept bees away from treated combs without harming them, with a patent application already filed.
This story moves with the morning letter.
When this question gets a new answer, the page above changes the same morning. Each morning's letter brings the day's progress in science, medicine and beyond. Free, every day.
Free forever, no spam. One click to unsubscribe, and we never sell your email.