USDA Approves First Ever Vaccine for Honey Bees

Butterfly Pavilion’s Statement on Honey Bee Vaccine and Pollinator Habitat

The United States Department of Agriculture recently approved a conditional vaccine license for the first vaccine developed for honey bees. This is the first vaccine approved for any insect species in the United States. Although the vaccine will only be available for purchase to commercial beekeepers at first, the development of a vaccine for honey bees is a major breakthrough for beekeeping and the protection of bees worldwide.   Butterfly Pavilion supports the introduction of this honey bee vaccine. This vaccine will help prevent the spread of American foul brood. American foul brood is a disease caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. This disease is spread through spores and while it does not harm adult honey bees, it is deadly to larvae (which are the immature bees that have hatched from their eggs, but have not yet transformed into fully developed adults). With no current treatment for this fatal disease, beekeepers must burn the entire infected colony, including the hive equipment, to avoid spreading the spores to other hives in their own apiaries or to other beekeepers’ bees foraging within the same 3-6 mile radius of the infected colony. According to the vaccine developer, the vaccine works by ingeniously incorporating killed Paenibacillus larvae bacteria into queen food consumed by worker bees. Worker bees then mix the vaccine into royal jelly which they feed the queen. Fragments of the vaccine move to the queen’s ovaries, exposing her eggs to the vaccine and providing immunity to future larvae. While this vaccine is a positive step toward developing vaccines for invertebrates and a big win for agriculture, it is not the ultimate solution for honey bee population declines nor for agriculture as a whole.  The western honey bee (Apis mellifera) was introduced to North America in the 1620s and has become an essential asset to agriculture in the United States, as managed honey bee colonies pollinate many of our crops. Because honey bees provide significant agricultural production, the vaccine is valuable for protecting honey bees and maintaining crop pollination. However, there is more to the story. Honey bees, and our native pollinators, are currently impacted by four major threats: pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition. While just one of these threats alone may not always prove fatal to a honey bee colony, studies have found that when bees are exposed to these threats together, they can synergistically affect the functions of honey bees’ immune and nervous systems, causing colony losses. While this vaccine aids in one of these four threats (pathogens), the other three threats must still be addressed to protect honey bees and our native bees, and other pollinators that are all in danger. Much of our crop production depends on honey bees, but with over ten viral, fungal, and bacterial diseases affecting honey bees in the United States, and many more infecting honey bees across the world, this puts us in a vulnerable position. It is vital that we realize the power of our native pollinators, which are more efficient pollinators than honey bees for many plant species. We must protect our valuable native pollinators to protect and bolster our food systems and to reduce our dependence on honey bees. By rewilding landscapes, using pollinator-friendly pest management, and supporting land conservation and habitat restoration, we can support healthy populations of both our beloved honey bees and wild pollinators.  While this vaccine is a breakthrough in pollinator health, the most important steps towards long-term pollinator survival and protecting our food systems are to embrace our glorious diversity of pollinators and commit to increasing natural pollinator habitat and sustainable practices. In fact, honey bees are ill suited for pollinating thousands of types of flowering plants. Butterfly Pavilion is leading the way in supporting pollinators through initiatives such as working with industry partners to restore Colorado’s natural pollinator habitat, working with businesses and cities to develop pollinator districts, leading habitat projects such as the Urban Prairies Project and Healthy Habitat Gardening Program, and educating the public about pollinators and their conservation needs.  Through greater habitat development, protection, and reestablishment of habitat everywhere, the honey bee could then reemerge as one of a multitude of pollinator species and naturally alleviate a demand for so many honey bees or need for a vaccine.