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According to researchers at Washington State University and a private company in western Washington, a mushroom extract could provide beekeepers with a valuable tool in the fight against the collapsing colony disorder that threatens hives and agricultural production around the world.
Scientists have found that when they fed bees an Amado and reishi mushroom extract, it reduced the deformed wing virus nearly 80-fold and reduced the lake virus by 45,000-fold. Sinai. Both viruses are transmitted by varroa mites that infest colonies of honey bees.
"The question is this: by reducing viruses, will mites become a less dangerous pest? We do not know it yet, "said Steve Sheppard, professor of entomology at WSU. "We opened the door to the possibility of seeing that we have a way to reduce viruses in hives. We must now make the link to improve the health of the colonies. "
Pollinators and agricultural experts have been confused by the losses experienced by beekeepers over the last decade. Known as colony collapse disorder, it has resulted in an annual reduction of at least 30% in commercial hives and has resulted in increased pollination costs for farmers.
Although researchers have not yet developed an evolutionary fungi product for beekeepers, they believe it can be done and could help maintain hive health and proper functioning. agriculture. It could also benefit native pollinator-dependent plants.
"Our greatest hope is that these extracts have such an impact on viruses that they can help varroa mites become a nuisance to bees, rather than causing huge devastation," Sheppard said. "We are excited to see where this research is leading us. Time is running out for bee populations and the security of the global food supply depends on our ability to find ways to improve pollinator health. "
Sheppard and other WSU members collaborated with Paul Stamets of Olympia-based Fungi Perfecti and scientists from the US Department of Agriculture to develop and test this excerpt. They recently detailed their findings in "Polypore Fungus Mycelium Extracts Reduce Viruses in Bees," published Thursday in Scientific Reports.
The researchers are doing additional testing and are also working to increase the production of the extracts.
"We are accelerating the production of extracts as quickly as possible, given the obstacles we have to overcome to deploy it on a large scale," said Stamets. "Those who wish to be kept informed can sign up for more information on www.fungi.com."
Sheppard said the university researchers were also working with a fungus of terrestrial origin that could prove useful for reducing mite infestations in bee hives. In addition to spreading viruses, mites can harm colonies in some other way.
"It's a twofold approach: to reduce the viruses that are spread by the mites and to find a way to reduce the mites themselves," he said.
Today, beekeepers try to control mite infestations by using chemicals or acaricides. According to the document, chemicals are an imperfect solution because mites have proven to be resistant to chemicals.
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