… This is a really interesting topic and it leads to a lot of other questions; the challenges and dangers of ecological engineering for one. But I’m more immediately curious about the potential...
The vaccine, which will initially be available to commercial beekeepers, aims to curb foulbrood, a serious disease caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae that can weaken and kill hives.
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The vaccine works by incorporating some of the bacteria into the royal jelly fed by worker bees to the queen, which then ingests it and gains some of the vaccine in the ovaries. The developing bee larvae then have immunity to foulbrood as they hatch, with studies by Dalan suggesting this will reduce death rates from the disease.
“In a perfect scenario, the queens could be fed a cocktail within a queen candy – the soft, pasty sugar that queen bees eat while in transit,” Delaplane said. “Queen breeders could advertise ‘fully vaccinated queens.’”
This is a really interesting topic and it leads to a lot of other questions; the challenges and dangers of ecological engineering for one. But I’m more immediately curious about the potential corporate ownership of vaccines like this. Will pollination-dependent agriculture become indentured to the vaccine manufacturers, much like farmers are effectively locked into their hybrid seed relationships with agribusiness?
Man, I hadn't even considered that, but given the history of ownership with groups like Monsanto this is a pretty depressing and likely future.
I’m more immediately curious about the potential corporate ownership of vaccines like this. Will pollination-dependent agriculture become indentured to the vaccine manufacturers, much like farmers are effectively locked into their hybrid seed relationships with agribusiness?
Man, I hadn't even considered that, but given the history of ownership with groups like Monsanto this is a pretty depressing and likely future.
…
This is a really interesting topic and it leads to a lot of other questions; the challenges and dangers of ecological engineering for one. But I’m more immediately curious about the potential corporate ownership of vaccines like this. Will pollination-dependent agriculture become indentured to the vaccine manufacturers, much like farmers are effectively locked into their hybrid seed relationships with agribusiness?
Man, I hadn't even considered that, but given the history of ownership with groups like Monsanto this is a pretty depressing and likely future.