The US has approved use of the world’s first vaccine for honey bees.
It was engineered to prevent fatalities from American foulbrood disease, a bacterial condition known to weaken colonies by attacking bee larvae.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a conditional license for the vaccine this week, according to the biotech firm behind its development.
As pollinators, bees play a critical role in many aspects of the ecosystem.
The vaccine could serve as a “breakthrough in protecting honey bees”, Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser said in a statement.
It works by introducing inactive bacteria into the royal jelly fed to the queen, whose larvae then gain immunity.
The US has seen annual reductions in honey bee colonies since 2006, according to the USDA.
The USDA says many, sometimes overlapping, factors threaten honey bee health, including parasites, pests and disease, as well as a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, which occurs when worker bees abandon a hive and leave behind the queen.
Pollinators such as bees, birds and bats are responsible for about a third of the world’s crop production, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization.
I – Word Understanding
Colony (bees) – a beehive that consists of adult bees: workers, drones and a queen
Larvae (plural for larva) – active immature form of an insect
II – Have Your Say
1, How do you feel about bees? Do you like them, or are you afraid of them?
2, Bees are all over and they are important to our ecosystem. Share some facts you know about bees. What else would you like to know about bees?
3, What would you do in the following situations?
a, There’s a bee flying around you.
b, There’s a beehive / beehouse attached to a part of your house.
c, You want to attract bees into your garden.
d, Your friend gives you a bottle of pure honey.
935 US approves world’s first vaccine for declining honey bees
