A Hybrid Honeybee Population Has Evolved Natural Mite Resistance

 

A hybrid honeybee population in Southern California was studied over a 4 year period, and was found to have lower mite infestation rates than colonies with queens from commercial stock. Varroa mites feed on the fat body tissue of honeybees, which weakens their immune system and ultimately shortens their lives. The California hybrid honeybees were not completely immune, they were found to have about 68% fewer Varroa mites on average. The differences showed even at the larval stage, suggesting the resistance must be more than learned behavior, but genetically built into the bees. One explanation for the difference between the hybrid honeybees and the managed honeybees they were compared to, is that continued chemical treatments in managed honeybee populations reduces natural selection for host resistance.

Sources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-45759-9

https://www.sci.news/biology/californian-hybrid-honeybees-varroa-mite-resistance-14689.html

Refining pesticides to kill pests, not bees

On Science Daily, researchers from Michigan State University's entomology department are trying to increase the effectiveness of pesticides on pests without impact the beneficial bugs. It is mentioned they found the key by molecular tweaking of the pyrethroids. Generally pyrethroids target the voltage-gated sodium channel, which is a protein found in nerve and muscle cells used for electric signaling in pests and bugs. Pyrethroids work by binding to the voltage gate preventing it from closing causing over-stimulation, which leads to the death of the insect. Rearchers have found a pyrethroid insecticide that bees are resistant to which is the tau-fluvalinate. This single protein of the  pyrethroid could make the bees have the same resistance as humans. They believe this discovery could lead to better alternatives in protecting bees while still eliminating pests.

I believe this would be a great advancement in agriculture, I'm aware of the issue about how the bee populations are depleting. Most of the issues are due to pesticides, so this discovery could give bees a chance to repopulate. The benefits of this could possibly help by increasing pollination, because bees are the key players in most of the worlds crop industries. In overall, this discovery could benefit in a variety of ways.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171121121432.htm

http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2017112215160029.html

Honeybees can play a role in developing new antibiotics

 In the article from ScienceDaily, UIC researchers, led by co-investigators Alexander Mankin and Nora Vazquez-Laslop discovered that a natural product from honeybees, Api137, is an inhibitor of translation termination. Antibiotics are known to kill bacteria by targeting ribosomes. However, Api137 interferes with different stages of translation when DNA is to be translated to proteins. This is significant because no new antibiotics have been discovered in 30 years and many bacteria are becoming resistant which is a major concern in public health. About 2 million people each year become infected with bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics, and about 23,000 of them die. This discovery can help create many new drugs to fight bacteria.