Diseases, parasites, pesticides, and droughts triggered by climate change are causing bee colonies all over the world to collapse, threatening large parts of our food supply. The dreaded American Foulbrood is so serious that the government requires infected hives to be burned and buried. There is no cure for the disease, and, until now, no drug to prevent it.
There is a beam of hope now. In a landmark move, the US Department of Agriculture has approved the use of the world's first vaccine for honeybees.
Annette Kleiser, CEO of Dalan Animal Health - the biotech company which partnered with the University of Georgia to develop the vaccine, said "it's like magic," adding "you vaccinate the queen and she passes it on to the millions of offspring that make the colony."
Honeybees play a crucial role in agriculture as they pollinate crops needed for the world's food supply. They are known to pollinate at least 33% of food grown in the US - essential to producing nearly $15 billion worth of crops in a year. But bee colonies are collapsing.
Bryan Ashurst, a fourth-generation beekeeper who runs California's Ashurst Bee Company, has raised concerns over the declining bee population, saying "I've heard guys losing 70%."
The company in the US state's Central Valley oversees about 27,000 bee colonies, which are part of one of the planet's largest pollination events.
Although the beekeeper said the new vaccine won't solve all of the problems triggering a dramatic fall in bees' population, he is optimistic and has expressed his willingness to try the drug on his bees.
So far, researchers have not come across any side effects or impacts associated with the vaccine on food products such as honey. The breakthrough is expected to now make it easier for the development of other vaccines to control all sorts of harmful pests and viruses.
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