A team of researchers led by the University of Oxford has developed a breakthrough food complement that would help reverse the harmful decline of bees.
Working with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the University of Greenwich, and the Technical University of Denmark, the scientists developed a food regimen that mimics the important thing nutrients bees normally get from pollen.
When tested, colonies fed the complement produced 15 times more young. The results were published within the journal
Bees are hungry for the precise nutrients.
Bees depend on pollen as their fundamental source of food. It accommodates essential lipids called sterols which might be vital for growth and development.
But climate change and intensive farming have reduced reliance on different species of flower bees. As a result, bees are increasingly losing vital nutrients.
Beekeepers often use artificial pollen substitutes produced from protein flour, sugar and oil. These provide calories but lack the sterols needed by bees, resulting in nutrient deficiencies in colonies.
Lab-prepared solutions using engineered yeast
To fill this gap, researchers engineered the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to supply a precise mixture of six essential sterols.
They added this yeast to bees' food regimen and tested it over three months in controlled glasshouse experiments. The attached setup ensured that the bees ate only the experimental feed.
Colonies grow quickly and stay healthy
The results were dramatic. Colonies receiving the enriched food regimen produced 15 times more larvae that reached the pupal stage than those on the usual food regimen.
They also continued to lift the kid throughout the study period. Colonies without sterol stopped producing offspring after about 90 days.
Even more strikingly, the dietary profile of the larvae is equivalent to that of naturally foraging bees, suggesting that the complement closely mimics the true nutrition of pollen.
Scientists say it might be a game changer.
Senior writer Professor Geraldine Wright (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) said: “Our study shows how we can use synthetic biology to solve real-world environmental challenges. Most of the pollen sterols used by bees are not available naturally in quantities that can be harvested, which is capable of producing whole nuts on a commercial scale. Pollen substitutes.”
Lead writer Dr Eleanor Moore (Department of Biology, University of Oxford on the time of the study, now Delft University of Technology) added: “For bees, the difference between a sterol-rich diet and a conventional bee diet is comparable to the difference in humans between eating a balanced, nutritionally complete diet and eating essential nutrients such as essential fatty acids. Fermentation, we are now able to provide bees with tailor-made feeds that is nutritionally complete at the molecular level.”
Cracking the bee nutrition code
To discover what bees really want, the researchers analyzed tissues from pupae and adult bees. This required very delicate laboratory work, including dissecting individual nurse bees.
They identified six key sterols that dominate bee biology: 24-methylenecholesterol, campesterol, isofucosterol, β-sitosterol, cholesterol, and desmosterol.
CRISPR and yeast make it scalable.
Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, the team programmed Yarrowia lipolytica to efficiently produce these sterols.
This yeast was chosen since it naturally produces lipids, is protected for food consumption, and might be scaled up for industrial production. The final complement is made by growing yeast in bioreactors and drying it right into a powder.
Why it matters for food and agriculture
Bees help produce greater than 70 percent of the world's major crops. But their populations are under severe pressure from poor nutrition, climate change, parasites, disease and pesticides.
In the US, annual colony losses have ranged from 40 to 50 percent in recent times and will reach 60 to 70 percent in 2025.
This recent complement could strengthen bee health without increasing competition for limited wildflowers. It may also be formulated into complete dietary feed.
Also helping wild bees
Co-author Professor Phil Stevenson (RBG Kew and Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich) added: “Honey bees are critical pollinators for the production of crops such as almonds, apples and cherries and so are present in large numbers in some crop locations, which can put pressure on our limited wild engine species by reducing competition for limited pollen supplies.”
A possible breakthrough for beekeepers
Daniel Downey (executive director of the bee research nonprofit Project Apis m., not affiliated with the study) said: “We rely on honey bees for one in three bites of our food, yet bees face many stresses. Good nutrition is one method to improve their resilience to those threats, and the very best food regimen for the natural environment. This development of key phytonutrients is a game Can be the sport changer that when added to feed supplements, beekeeping has enormous potential to enhance colony survival outcomes and consequently we depend on the beekeeping business for our food production.
What happens next?
Larger field trials are still needed to substantiate long-term advantages. If successful, the complement could reach farmers inside two years.
The same technology may also be adapted to assist other pollinators or agricultural insects, opening recent avenues for sustainable agriculture.