Mushroom's Save the Bees: Part 1.
- Sativ Steve
- Mar 24, 2019
- 2 min read
Over the past few years there has been a dramatic fall in the bee populations. Hives are completely abandoned and eradicated as the overall numbers dwindle. There are a number of different factors at play, some natural, but most man made. For a time human society has remained useless at helping the bees. Men did not know what ailment inflicted the colonies, or how they could fix it. The problems caused by men have gone ignored and unresolved, as if modern society could not afford the necessary prescriptions.
The bees are a vital part of the Earth's ecosystem as a whole. They carry out and facilitate many tasks which are important to virtually all vegetation. In the last couple of years beekeepers have experienced almost one third of their colonies devastated annually.
But there is still hope, hope to save the bees. One of the leading antagonists to the insects has been identified as Colony Collapse Disorder. This is caused by a parasite known as Varroa destructor. Its name is suiting because once it enters a colony it spells out sure destruction for all inhabitants. It feeds off of the living bees, passing along countless viruses as it does so. These viruses then spread onto every surface touched by infected bees.
Beekeepers have been completely baffled on how they can combat this terrible phenomena, until recently. Against all odds two mushrooms have been identified to have potent antiviral benefits. These antiviral properties are strong enough to fight against the Colony Collapse Disorder.
Paul Stamets, a leading mycologist, along with Walter Sheppard, a researcher at Washington State University and leading bee expert, have been conducting tests with the potential bee medicines. In lab settings they fed a group of afflicted bees a mixture of sugar-water and mushroom extract. It resulted in an 800 fold drop in virus levels. Unfortunately the numbers were not so astronomical when tested outside of lab conditions. However they were still very impressive. Outside of lab condition the formula was seen to have a 79 fold reduction effect. This number is still phenomenal.
These fungal based remedies may be the savior that the worlds bee populations need. Research is still being done into the long term benefits and actual mechanisms behind the bees recovery, however a bright future is visible. Despite these advances toward preventing natural tragedies, humans still have to keep working to better themselves. There are still many things which modern society must change before the bees can be saved. And if these changes are not made, there will be severe consequences.
WC:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/without-bees-foods-we-love-will-be-lost
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