The United States has authorized the use of the world’s first honey bee vaccine.
It was designed to protect bee colonies against American foulbrood disease, a bacterial infection that attacks bee larvae and weakens colonies.
According to the biotech corporation behind its creation, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) obtained a provisional license for the vaccine this week.
Bees play an important part in many elements of the environment as pollinators.
The vaccination might be a “breakthrough in honey bee protection,” according to Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser.
It works by putting an inactive form of the bacterium into the royal jelly given to the queen, resulting in immunity for the queen’s larvae.
According to the USDA, yearly declines in honey bee colonies have occurred in the United States since 2006.
Various factors, some of which overlap, imperil honey bee health, according to the USDA. It includes parasites, pests, and disease, as well as a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. This mainly occurs when worker bees abandon a hive. They also leave the queen behind.
According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, pollinators such as bees, birds, and bats account for around one-third of global agricultural output.
United States approves first honey bee vaccine.
It protects bee colonies against American foulbrood disease, a bacterial illness that weakens colonies.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) provisionally licensed the vaccine this week, according to its creator.
Bees pollinate various environmental factors.
Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser calls the immunization a “breakthrough in honey bee protection.”
Putting an inactive form of the bacteria in the queen’s royal jelly immunizes her larvae.
Since 2006, honey bee populations in the U.S. have declined annually.
Parasites, pests, and sickness, as well as a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, imperil honey bee health, according to the USDA.
Bees, birds, and bats pollinate one-third of the world’s crops, according to the FAO.