Scientists have developed a breakthrough food supplement that could help save honeybees from devastating declines. By engineering yeast to produce six essential sterols found in pollen, researchers provided bees with a nutritionally complete diet that boosted reproduction up to 15-fold. Unlike commercial substitutes that lack key nutrients, this supplement mimics natural pollen’s sterol profile, giving bees the equivalent of a balanced diet.
Um, isn’t this like majorly good news? Like maybe among our most important discoveries?
The whole “save the bees” thing is about wild bees, not domesticated ones I think
And the problem isn’t just bees either. Broadly, insect populations are in free-fall. There are many stretches of highway in the US now where you don’t need to clean your windshield after hours on the road. We’ve lost a massive chunk of our flying pollinator population, to say nothing of the roles they play in the food chains.
Massive-scale farming and pesticide use is going to leave us starving, ironically enough.
This isn’t true. Colony collapse disorder has been a big problem for beekeepers.
Sorta. If you’re a beekeeper I can see this being a major deal. Not clear on how hard this yeast is to grow or how well the process scales.
Bees got a threefold problem, and we need to get at the roots of the issue.
Pesticides and herbicides. Won’t happen, but governments need to ban these products for consumers, restrict them to professionals. Karen and Ken don’t need a perfect lawn sacrificing the bottom of the food chain.
We need to grow more, and more indigenous, plants of all kinds. Working on it in my yard, doing well so far. Last year the bumblebees were so loud I thought it was construction on the next block over. :)
Verona mites are a monster issue. They came to America in the 90s and are whipping our ass. Haven’t looked into beekeeping for awhile, not sure where we’re at with that.
Good for bee keepers, but most plants are pollinated by wild bees. So this could help, but doesn’t really change much in the grand scheme.
Yes. Very good news.
For honey producers. This isn’t going to help our ecosystem broadly.
Nobel Prize in all categories.