Finnish scientists are developing the first-ever insect vaccine to save dying bees

Bees.
(Image credit: iStock)

We may finally be ready to save the bees.

Scientists in Finland say they have developed an edible vaccine for the prominent and deadly bacterial disease American foulbrood, which spreads rapidly in honeybee populations, NPR reports.

The Finnish researchers are calling the vaccine “PrimeBEE” and say it can be given to the queen bee via a sugar patty.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

President of the D.C. Beekeepers Alliance Toni Burnham told NPR that the disease is a "death sentence" for a hive, and particularly concerning given the world's declining bee populations.

"If a colony is diagnosed with AFB — regardless of the level of the infestation — it burns," Burnham told NPR. "Every bit of it burns; the bees are killed and the woodenware burns, and it's gone."

The vaccine is still undergoing safety tests, and developers are working on launching a business for the product, according to a press release. But scientist Dalial Freitak, who worked on the vaccine, says the medication could be a breakthrough. "We need to help honeybees, absolutely," Freitak said. "Even improving their life a little would have a big effect on the global scale."

Explore More
Marianne Dodson

Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.