Image of a pee on a purple flower against a honeycomb backdrop

Shutterstock.com (all images)

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Lexile® measure

Sweet News for Honeybees

A new medicine offers bees protection from a deadly disease. 

April 10, 2023
By Talia Cowen

As You Read: Identify how scientists give medicine to a hive.

Quick! List foods you eat on a normal day. Do you bite into a crisp apple at breakfast or a juicy tomato in a sandwich at lunch? Do you nibble on a snack of roasted almonds or have a side of broccoli at dinner? Whatever you eat, scientists say that about one-third of it exists thanks to one type of insect . . . honeybees!

Quick! List foods you eat on a normal day. Do you bite into a crisp apple at breakfast? Or a juicy tomato in a sandwich at lunch? Do you nibble on a snack of roasted almonds? Or have a side of broccoli at dinner? Whatever you eat, scientists say that about one-third of it exists thanks to one type of insect . . . honeybees!

Facing Danger

Bees are one of the most important creatures on Earth. They spread pollen. Pollen is a special powder made by plants. When pollen is spread to other plants, it causes them to grow seeds, fruits, or vegetables. 

But these helpful little bees face big dangers, like loss of habitat and deadly diseases. One of those diseases is called American foulbrood. It’s caused by a germ that kills baby bees in their hives, or nests.

The disease can move quickly from hive to hive. For years, the only way to stop it was to burn the infected hive and bury it—until now. 

Bees are one of the most important creatures on Earth. They spread pollen. Pollen is a special powder made by plants. When pollen is spread to other plants, it causes them to grow seeds, fruits, or vegetables. 

But these helpful little bees face big dangers. These include loss of habitat and deadly diseases. One of those diseases is called American foulbrood. It’s caused by a germ that kills baby bees in their hives, or nests.

The disease can move quickly from hive to hive. For years, the only way to stop it was to burn the infected hive and bury it. That was the case until now. 

Protecting Bees

Last year, scientists at a company called Dalan Animal Health created a new vaccine. It protects bees from the disease.   

But how can you give a vaccine to the world’s billions of bees? It’s impossible to feed it to the thousands of bees in just one hive. Scientists needed another way.

They knew that some animals can pass immunity to diseases from mothers to their babies. Would that be true for bees? If so, scientists would just have to vaccinate the hive’s queen bee. One queen can lay up to two thousand bees every day.

After many failed experiments, the scientists thought of a way to vaccinate the queen. They know that worker bees feed the queen. So they fed the vaccine to a few worker bees, which fed it to the queen bee. After the queen ate it, her babies didn’t get sick. The vaccine worked!

Last year, scientists at a company called Dalan Animal Health created a new vaccine. It protects bees from the disease.   

But the world has billions of bees. How could they all get the vaccine? There are thousands of bees in just one hive. It’s impossible to give the vaccine to them all. Scientists needed another way.

They knew that some animals can pass immunity to diseases from mothers to their babies. Would that be true for bees? If so, scientists would just have to vaccinate the hive’s queen bee. One queen can lay up to two thousand bees every day.

There were many failed experiments. But later, the scientists thought of a way to vaccinate the queen. They know that worker bees feed the queen. So they fed the vaccine to a few worker bees. Those worker bees fed it to the queen bee. After the queen ate it, her babies didn’t get sick. The vaccine worked!

What’s Next?

Now beekeepers around the world are eager to try out the new vaccine. Amy Floyd helped develop it, and she says it won’t solve all of bees’ problems. The vaccine won’t fix issues like loss of habitat. But beekeepers are happy to have a new way to help their honeybees.

Floyd and other scientists at Dalan Animal Health are looking to the future. They’re searching for ways to fight more diseases affecting bees and other insects. 

“There’s a lot of potential,” Floyd said. “And that’s something to buzz about!”

Now beekeepers around the world are eager to try out the new vaccine. Amy Floyd helped develop it. She says it won’t solve all of bees’ problems. The vaccine won’t fix issues like loss of habitat. But beekeepers are happy to have a new way to help their honeybees.

Floyd and other scientists at Dalan Animal Health are looking to the future. They’re searching for ways to fight more diseases affecting bees and other insects. 

“There’s a lot of potential,” Floyd said. “And that’s something to buzz about!”

Life Cycle of the Honeybee

Each hive has thousands of bees but only one queen. Here’s how honeybees in a hive grow.

  1. Eggs: The queen lays eggs in the hive. 
  2. Larva: This worm-like form hatches from each egg.
  3. Pupa: The larva spins a cocoon around itself. Inside, it develops into a bee.
  4. Adult: After 1 to 2 weeks, an adult bee emerges.
  1. Eggs: The queen lays eggs in the hive. 
  2. Larva: This worm-like form hatches from each egg.
  3. Pupa: The larva spins a cocoon around itself. Inside, it develops into a bee.
  4. Adult: After 1 to 2 weeks, an adult bee emerges.

Life Cycle of the Honeybee

Each hive has thousands of bees but only one queen. Here’s how honeybees in a hive grow.

  1. Eggs: The queen lays eggs in the hive. 
  2. Larva: This worm-like form hatches from each egg.
  3. Pupa: The larva spins a cocoon around itself. Inside, it develops into a bee.
  4. Adult: After 1 to 2 weeks, an adult bee emerges.
  1. Eggs: The queen lays eggs in the hive. 
  2. Larva: This worm-like form hatches from each egg.
  3. Pupa: The larva spins a cocoon around itself. Inside, it develops into a bee.
  4. Adult: After 1 to 2 weeks, an adult bee emerges.
  1. Why does the author mention different foods at the beginning of the article?
  2. What is the meaning of the word infected? What clues in the article help you figure it out?
  3. How did scientists deliver the vaccine’s protection to baby bees? 
  1. Why does the author mention different foods at the beginning of the article?
  2. What is the meaning of the word infected? What clues in the article help you figure it out?
  3. How did scientists deliver the vaccine’s protection to baby bees? 
videos (2)
videos (2)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Games (1)
TEACHER SUPPORT (1)
Leveled Articles (1)
Text-to-Speech