One issue that has become very important to people in recent years is the decrease in the honey bee population, a trend which experts say could be devastating to our environment. Increases in the use of pesticides, climate change, a lack of nutrients and habitat loss could mean the end of these essential pollinators. Thankfully, scientists have developed a vaccine which can help these little bugs fight microbial infections that have been wiping them out in mass.
One infection which has been doing the most damage is Fungal, called Foulbrood. This fungal infection can wipe out entire colonies, but the vaccine is supposed to shield them from this. This is good because the spores remain active for up to fifty years and have been devastating to honey bees worldwide.
Regulatory hurdles and massive amounts of testing still need to be overcome before this can be made commercially available. Some required testing includes making sure their delicious honey will still be safe for human consumption after vaccination and that the vaccination doesn't have any long term effects on the environment or the bees themselves.
Lets welcome this new medicine and hope that it saves our fuzzy little buzzers!!!
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