We are all familiar with the fact that honey bees and other species of pollinators are in decline. They have been dying off quite fast and this has been in the center of scientists’ research several years now.
They believe that this can be because of many factors like habitat loss, pollution, herbicides and even viruses which are provoking the “colony collapse disorder”. For example, one kind of virus which can affect honey bees is the “deformed wing virus”. It causes the developing of nonfunctional, disfigured bees‘ wings. This is really dangerous as scientists have not yet developed any antiviral treatments. Also, it is a really bad virus because parasitic mites are the ones transferring it.
A new research paper published in the journal Scientific Reports brings a bit of hope for the matter. According to this study, a simple mushroom extract might help with this problem and even increase the pollinator population. This mushroom extract is made from two species – “tinder fungus” and Red Reishi. More specifically, it is the mycelia-cobweb-like fungal membranes which are in and on the soil.
The experiment
Washington mycologist, Paul Stamets, noticed that bees are drawn to water droplets on mushrooms in his garden. It was after some years, while he was reading about the antiviral properties of fungi for humans when he remembered the bees‘ behavior in his garden. It occurred to him to think about whether the bees were benefiting from the mushrooms’ water.
Stamets set up an experiment with his colleagues at Washington State University. They started feeding sugary mushroom broth (“mycelial broth”) to one set of bees and they gave sugar-water to another set. The first set showed to be fighting off two viruses linked to colony collapse disorder. The second group continued to suffer from both viruses.
The scientist believed that the nutrients in the fungi give the pollinators’ immune systems a boost. Even though the media was identifying the cure as a vaccine, it is not a vaccine. A vaccine is something that will make the body immune to some diseases. This mushroom broth, on the other hand, works in supporting the pollinator’s immune system to allow their natural immunity to be strong enough to reduce the viruses.
This research is really important because it works in helping the bees. We know that one-third of our crops entirely depends on honey bees. Among those crops are onions, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, almonds, etc. If we lose bees, we are losing a lot!