Summary:
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The first-ever honey bee vaccination has been given the green light for use in the US.It was made to keep people from dying from American foulbrood disease, a bacterial infection that hurts bee larvae and is known to hurt colonies.
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The USDA says that since 2006, honey bee colonies in the US have been getting smaller each year.
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The new vaccine, according to Dalan Animal Health, contains a dormant form of the bacteria Paenibacillus larvae, which causes American foulbrood disease.
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According to a board member of the California State Beekeepers Association, Trevor Tauzer, the new vaccination may represent “an encouraging step forward for beekeepers.
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“Dalan said the vaccine would probably be sold in the US this year and planned to give it out “on a limited basis” to commercial beekeepers.
The first-ever honey bee vaccination has been given the green light for use in the US.
It was made to keep people from dying from American foulbrood disease, a bacterial infection that hurts bee larvae and is known to hurt colonies.
This week, the biotech company that made the vaccine said that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave the vaccine a provisional license.
Bees are essential pollinators and are involved in many environmental processes.
Annette Kleiser, the CEO of Dalan Animal Health, says that the vaccination could be a “breakthrough” in saving honey bees.
It works by putting an inactive form of the bacteria in the royal jelly that the queen eats, which protects her larvae.
The USDA says that since 2006, honey bee colonies in the US have been getting smaller each year.
According to the USDA, various occasionally converging variables, including parasites, pests, diseases, and a condition known as colony collapse disorder, happen when worker bees quit a hive and leave the queen behind, posing a threat to honey bee health.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, approximately one-third of the world’s food production is caused by pollinators like bees, birds, and bats.
According to research, farm herbicides kill more bees, while tech companies use remote monitoring to aid honey bees.
American foulbrood disease is a problem for beekeepers because it can’t be cured and spreads quickly. The only treatment is to burn the infected bee colony with the hives and equipment and give antibiotics to other bee colonies.
Dalan Animal Health says that the new vaccine contains a dormant form of the Paenibacillus larvae, which causes American foulbrood disease.
According to a biotech company specializing in insect health and immunology, the bacteria are mixed into the royal jelly feed that worker bees give to the queen bee. The queen bee eats the meal and stores some of the vaccination in her ovaries.
This, it is said, provides bee larvae immunity to the sickness as they hatch and lowers disease-related fatalities.
According to a board member of the California State Beekeepers Association, Trevor Tauzer, the new vaccination may represent “an encouraging step forward for beekeepers.”
He explained, “If we can stop an infection in our hives, we may avoid expensive treatments and concentrate our work on other crucial components of keeping our bees healthy.”
Dalan said the vaccine would probably be sold in the US this year and planned to give it out “on a limited basis” to commercial beekeepers.
