Written on January 14, 2023 at 2:34 p.m
Climate change, destruction of its habitats, pesticides and diseases… The depopulation of bees, whose population has declined dangerously in recent years, weakens the entire biodiversity and can have serious consequences for our agriculture.
In an effort to remedy this, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the first ever vaccine for honey bees. Developed over the past ten years by Dalan Animal Health, a biotech company based in Georgia (Southeastern USA), it aims to protect this species from American foulbrood, a disease that destroys hives. Here’s what you need to know about this serum, which is currently reserved for Americans.
1. Stinking fools have already destroyed entire colonies
Bees, thanks to their important work of pollination, allow the reproduction of 80% of plants. Without them, a third of the contents of our plates would disappear. The US Food and Drug Administration estimates that bee pollination represents approximately $15 billion in added value to crops.
However, the species is susceptible to disease, and American gorse has already destroyed entire colonies – in 2019, American beekeepers lost 40% of their hives to this infection. On its website, the USDA classifies it as “one of the most widespread diseases affecting honeybees, and the most devastating.” American foulbrood, caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, attacks the larvae and turns them into a sort of slimy, brown substance and gives hives a rancid odor, hence its other nickname, stinky foulbrood.
2. Antibiotic treatment with limited effect
To combat the disease, beekeepers have so far relied on antibiotics – but with limited effectiveness. Because when a hive begins to show symptoms, it is already too late: the only way to prevent its spread is to reduce the hive, the colony and the contaminated material to ashes, to save what may still be.
“If we can prevent an infection in our hives, we can avoid costly treatments and focus our energy on other things that are important to keeping our bees healthy,” said Trevor Tauzer, Tauzer Apiaries owner and board member. The administration of the California State Beekeepers Association in a statement.
3. A vaccine taken by the queen
Unlike a traditional vaccine, this one is not injected via a syringe. The process involves introducing the vaccine containing dead Paenibacillus larvae into royal jelly, which the worker bees give to the queen. Once ingested, its offspring are then immune to the bacteria, explained Annette Kleiser, general manager of Dalan. During laboratory tests, the researchers found a resistance rate to the disease that increased up to 50% in the offspring.
Initially, Dalan plans to distribute the vaccine to a limited number of industry professionals before it becomes available for sale in the United States this year. According to the company, this scientific discovery could be used to find vaccines against other bee-related diseases, such as the European version of foulbrood.
