Mushrooms Save the Bees: Part 2

The Earths Bee populations are responsible for cross-pollinating almost all vegetation worldwide. They are not solely responsible for this job. However, they are responsible for providing the level of cross-pollination needed to sustain the modern worlds agricultural practices. But many of these current farming practices are the very things responsible for the alarming decline in Bee populations.

For the past few years, farmers have been using potent pesticides to protect their hard work from hungry bugs or small animals. Many of the insecticides, poisonous explicitly used to target insects, are indiscriminate in which bugs they kill. Only about 1% of the Earths insect population is considered harmful to agriculture. The rest of the bugs play vital roles in sustaining ecosystems. Chemical based insecticides are so readily used because they are a fast and easy solution. But, when looking at larger ecosystems, it becomes clear they do more harm than good. Studies have shown that the damage associated with these types of pesticides are responsible for a loss of 8 billion dollars a year in the US alone.

But there is a bright future to look forward too. With recent breakthroughs in mycological based technology, these chemical-based solutions may be a thing of the past. They may be soon phased out by, stronger, fungal-based pesticides. With one usage these fungal traps can eliminate a current population of bugs and prevent that same species from coming back. These biopesticides are entirely safe for people, animals, fish, plants or even other bugs. They are hyperspecific to the bug they are meant to target. The way this is achieved is straightforward. There is an entire subfamily of fungi that have evolved solely to kill insects. For every species of insect, there are a specific species of fungus. Typically bugs are attracted to their fungal counterpart. However, generations of evolution have taught those bugs to fear the deadly spores which come from the fungus. This makes sense because being infected by the spores is what leads to the death of the bug. Mycologists have been able to train these insect-killing fungi to wait to sporulate. This method removes the mechanism which served to alarm the bugs. Without it, they are attracted to the fungus. When they approach it, they become infected. Next, the fungi take over their body, and they die. Then a mushroom grows out of their carcuss and begins the sporulation process. This sporulation covers the surrounding area in a blanket of spores which then serve to scare away other bugs of the same species. These fungal based solutions are incredibly easy and cheap to pursue. Many urban countries are banning chemical-based pesticides, this is the time to implement innovation, and save the Bees.

WS:

https://returntonow.net/2018/06/04/mushroom-based-pesticide-could-make-chemical-pesticides-obsolete/

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/12/522068205/fungal-pesticides-offer-a-growing-alternative-to-traditional-chemicals

https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-gardening-guru/pesticide-problem/

http://sos-bees.org/causes/