World’s First Vaccine for Declining Honeybees Approved By the US for Conditional Use

A biotech company announced this week that the USDA (Department of Agriculture) granted them a conditional license for their honeybee vaccine.

The vaccine boosts the bee’s immune system to fight against American Foulbrood disease, a bacteria-based condition known to attack colonies that is caused by Paenibacillus larvae.

Critical to our food supplies, honeybees have been plagued by American Foulbrood, which until now had no safe or sustainable antidote. Previously, the only treatment method for the highly contagious disease was incinerating the bees, infected hives, and all the equipment.
— Read on www.goodnewsnetwork.org/honeybee-vaccine-gets-approval-from-usda/

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Help Save Honey Bees: Petition

Petition by Logan McGeary

Petition Details: Bees could possibly be faster then computer? True or false. Recently scientists have discovered that they’re smart enough to have sourced just the right amount of nectar; while preplanning the quickest route from the hive and back. It has been proven that they’re not just a one trick show, being a huge help in today’s indoor structures, furniture, household and office products; Even satellites and airplane wings are built upon the “hexagonal structure principle”. Which the bees use to build their hive, which intern creates more Strength and spaces to store their honey. Bees are facing extinction ultimately, we too would be at risk of extinction due to crop loss, rising food prices and food shortages leading to wide spread famine. 

I want to help save Honey bees from extinction because they are essential to the earth. Before we go any further, let’s look at the facts 

Bees have a massive importance to our ecosystem today; and have just been place on the endangered species list. How do they have an importance you ask? Firstly the most important part of a bees importance, is pollination to our ecosystem. Now pollination is a process through which bees collect nectar, and pollen from flowers, the pollen is used by the bee as protein and, nectar is taken into use for energy. As the bees travels from one flower to another transferring pollen, fertilizing as they go, including most of your favoured fruits and vegs; some of those included  would be Watermelon, Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Coconuts, Cucumber, Almonds and Tomatoes.SO WHERE WHOULD WE GO WITHOUT BEES? 

Maddie Maote on BBC Future has done extensive research into bees, and as far as important species go; they are at the top of the list. She has found that bees ‘pollinate 70 of the 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world. Honey bees are responsible for $30 Billion a year in crops’. That only being the start of a global food shortage, ‘we may lose all the plants that bees pollinate, all of the animals that eat those plants’, and so forth moving up the food chain. ‘Which  means a world without bees could struggle, to sustain the global human population of 7 Billion.  

Honeybees are being lost in many parts of the world, ‘large numbers of colonies have been lost, a syndrome some have referred to as colony collapse disorder (CCD).’ This is where the majority, of the worker bees disappear, leaving behind a few nurser bees, to protect their queen. The infant bees are not fully  in understanding of their role in the hive yet. 

Our research is identifying the various factors that are involved; land development, agricultural management, pesticide use, environmental pollution and climate change. As if this list is not long enough. There is still hope for the honeybee, with the media  promoting the issue; 

We should be more aware and courteous about how we deicide, to move forward with our lives knowing that someday soon maybe? Our Children could have to live with a major world problem, we can stop using pesticides and protect bees’ sites. But is that enough?

Save The Honey Bees