The USDA or the US Department of Agriculture has approved the first vaccine manufactured to be used in Honey bees. This vaccine was developed by the biotechnology firm, Dalan Animal Health for making bees resistant to American foulbrood disease, which attacks the bee larvae and damages the bee colonies. The USDA has approved the vaccine by providing a conditional license. Honey bees are one of the most useful insects which help in natural pollination to increase the production in agriculture. Honey bees also produce honey and beeswax. Hence, this vaccine can help the environment by saving the lives of bees. Dalan Animal Health is a biotech company that works to create solutions that can prevent diseases in invertebrates to increase the yield and output of the final product which is generated from these invertebrates. The company generally works for producing disease preventive solutions for invertebrates such as shrimps, bees, and other insects.
Honey bees are natural pollinators which are why many farmers set up bee farms close to their farms so that they can get maximum yield from their land. Because of this, their well-being is of utmost importance for the betterment of humans. But the bees are being troubled by the rapidly spreading American Foulbrood disease, which targets the bee larvae. American Foulbrood disease is the most prevalent and destructive bee brood disease, which has affected millions of colonies of bees, especially in the US. The disease is caused by the Paenibacillus larvae which are even resistant to heat and many disinfectants. Because of this, for farmers and beekeepers across the world, the American Foulbrood disease has created tremendous troubles. Until now, there has not been any satisfactory cure for this disease. The only way to prevent the spread of American Foulbrood disease was to incinerate the bees and affected hives, which meant that if someone’s bee farm gets infected, they are bound to incur the loss. But this newly approved vaccine against the disease has sparked a ray of hope for farmers and beekeepers.
Trevor Tauzer, the board member of the California State Beekeepers Association, said that this vaccine is an exciting step for beekeepers as this vaccine will save the time and resources required to deal with the bees and hives that have been infected by the disease. He further added that the vaccine will save the high cost of treatment and time which went into preventing the infection from spreading, which beekeepers can invest in taking care of their bees to keep them healthy. Dr. Annette Kleiser, the CEO of Dalan Animal Health, said that the company is committed to providing solutions that can help the bees and offer sustainable agriculture. She further added that as the growth in global population has increased demand for food supplies, their vaccine will make it easier for the farmers to take care of natural pollinators such as bees, thus ensuring higher yields. The importance of bees has been marked by scientists, entomologists, environmentalists, and many others. Hence, this vaccine is an important breakthrough in taking care of bees.
