Scientists have developed a breakthrough “superfood” for honeybees by engineering yeast to produce the essential nutrients normally found in pollen. In controlled trials, colonies fed this specially designed diet produced up to 15 times more young, showing a dramatic boost in reproduction and overall health. As climate change and modern agriculture reduce the availability of natural pollen, this innovation could offer a practical way to support struggling bee populations.

Using CRISPR-Cas9, scientists engineered a yeast to produce the nutrient feed. Farmers could have it in two years.

  • LincolnsDogFido@lemmy.zipEnglish
    51·
    23 hours ago

    I’d bet my life savings you don’t actually feel this strongly about honey bees. And secondly, honey bees don’t need “invasive agriculture” to survive or produce honey. They produce honey just fine from natural wildflowers and wildflowers benefit all the same from pollination.

    • ButteryMonkey@piefed.socialEnglish
      11·
      22 hours ago

      I feel that strongly about native bees and honey bees cause problems for them so… yeah. I’m big on native wildlife. Fuck invasive species.

      Honeybees are not native where I am, and somehow we have so many crops that supposedly rely on them or they would fail entirely, how is that not invasive agriculture? People truck bees across the country to support these crops.

      I’m not saying they can’t produce honey from native flowers, they can but that’s entirely beside the point, and that’s also competing with native bees, of which there are hundreds of species.

      • Sculptus Poe@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        49 minutes ago

        They have discovered that even the Amazon rain forest is actually a result of agriculture. I suppose you enjoy eating… It makes no sense to rave against agriculture in general. At any rate I wish they would start domesticating Melipona beecheii for North American bee keeping. It is a native american bee, though it is more central and south america as it is tropical. It is also stingless, which is a plus. Native Americans in Mexico harvested them for honey.