Honeybees are an integral part of our natural world, serving as pollinators for a wide range of plants and crops. Without honeybees, our food supply would be severely impacted, as approximately one-third of the food we consume relies on pollination from bees¹.

However, honeybees in the United States are facing a number of challenges that threaten their survival.

One major threat to honeybees is the use of pesticides, which can poison bees and disrupt their ability to pollinate. In addition, honeybees are also facing challenges from parasites and diseases, such as the varroa mite and American foulbrood².

These pests and diseases can decimate entire colonies, leading to a decline in the overall population of honeybees.

However, there is new hope for our pollinators in the form of the first-ever vaccine for honeybees, developed by U.S. biotech firm Dalan Animal Health³. This vaccine, called "Apistan," has been shown to be effective in protecting honeybees against the varroa mite, a major cause of hive loss, as well as stop the spread of American foulbrood disease, caused by Paenibacillus larvae bacterium, which can weaken and destroy hives⁴.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted a conditional license for Apistan, which is incorporated into the royal jelly by the worker bees, who then feed it to the queen, Dalan maintains⁵.

"She ingests it, and fragments of the vaccine are deposited in her ovaries. Having been exposed to the vaccine, the developing larvae have immunity as they hatch," the company reports⁵.

Studies showed vaccinated queens were more resistant to infection and it provided immune protection for their offspring⁶. However, while the development of the Apistan vaccine is a significant step forward, it is important to note that it is not a silver bullet solution⁷.

Honeybees still face a number of challenges, and it will take a multifaceted approach to ensure their long-term survival. This may include efforts to reduce the use of pesticides, promote sustainable beekeeping practices, and protect habitat for bees.

Overall, the plight of honeybees in the United States is a complex issue, but with the development of the Apistan vaccine and other efforts to support these important insects, there is hope for a brighter future.

It is important to remember that honeybees are just one part of the larger ecosystem, and the health of other pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds, is also essential. These important insects are facing a number of challenges that threaten their survival, including the use of pesticides, habitat loss, and parasites and diseases⁸.

If we don't take action, we risk losing these vital pollinators forever.

Take the pledge to save honeybees and other pollinators from extinction!

More on this issue:

1. University of California - Berkeley (26 October 2006), "Pollinators Help One-third Of The World's Food Crop Production."
2. United States Environmental Protection Agency (30 July 2018), "Understanding How Pesticide Exposure Affects Honey Bee Colonies."
3. Megan Hernbroth, Axios (26 September 2022), "Dalan Animal Health raises $3.6M for honeybee vaccine."
4. Oliver Milman, The Guardian (4 January 2023), "US government approves use of world’s first vaccine for honeybees."
5. Ian Murphy, Business Wire (4 January 2023), "First-in-Class Honeybee Vaccine Receives Conditional License from the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics."
6. Franziska Dickel, Nick Maria Peter Bos, Huw Hughes, Raquel Martín-Hernández, Mariano Higes, Annette Kleiser and Dalial Freitak, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Veterinary Infectious Diseases (17 October 2022), "The oral vaccination with Paenibacillus larvae bacterin can decrease susceptibility to American Foulbrood infection in honey bees—A safety and efficacy study."
7. Ayana Archie, NPR (6 January 2023), "A biotech firm says the U.S. has approved its vaccine for honeybees."
8. Kathleen Wong, Natural Reserve System (16 January 2018), "Role of honey bees in ecosystem pollination."