Beekeepers make incredible breakthrough in fight against emerging threat: 'It's like an arms race'
Beekeepers across the United States are swapping chemical treatments for natural selection to save honey bee populations from tiny parasites, according to Civil Eats.
Honey bee colonies face a crisis nationwide, with a shocking 1.1 million colonies lost from June 2024 to February. During this period, 62% of commercial beekeepers' hives died. The tiny Varroa destructor mite damages colonies by attaching to bees and feeding on them, leaving them weak and ill.
Instead of using chemicals that work less and less as mites adapt, beekeepers such as Troy Hall in Vermont breed bees that fight back on their own. These bees exhibit a skill called Varroa-sensitive hygiene, which involves cleaning mites off one another and removing sick larvae from the hive.
The process takes time and sacrifice. Many beekeepers using this method first lose 50-60% of their colonies, but that allows nature to pick the winners.
"Early on, I decided it would be best to develop systems of management that would be good for the future," Hall told Civil Eats about his 20-year journey breeding mite-fighting bees.
This approach helps both beekeepers and our food supply. Honey bees pollinate key crops including almonds, strawberries, and melons. When bees thrive without chemicals, farms grow stronger. For you at home, this means continued access to affordable fruits and vegetables that are free from extra pesticides.
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The breeding method gives hope where chemicals have failed. While the common pesticide amitraz kills mites, it also harms bees and becomes less effective as mites adapt. Naturally tough bees offer a lasting solution that works with nature.
Studies show wild bees can change to meet challenges. Scientists in New York found that after mites arrived, the bees that lived through the crisis showed 232 different DNA adjustments, per Civil Eats.
"It's like an arms race," Melissa Oddie, a Varroa and honey bee expert, said. "The bees that survive quickly build up defenses, or behaviors, faster than the Varroa mites can kill the colony. Rather than being a major threat, the mites become a minor annoyance."
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Beekeepers make incredible breakthrough in fight against emerging threat: 'It's like an arms race' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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