iScience: Plant compounds can protect bees from deadly viruses

This deformed wing virus is spread by a parasite called Varroa mites, which can infect bees throughout their life cycle

"For bees, pathogens are definitely a source of stress," said the first author, Cheng-Kang Tang (transliteration) of National Taiwan University

Their research showed that the virus inhibited the expression of genes related to neural signal transmission, as well as several other biological processes related to the learning and memory functions of honeybees

To study the effects of NaB on bees, the lead author of the study, Yueh-Lung Wu of National Taiwan University and his team fed the bees with NaB-containing sugar water for a week before infecting bees with the deformed wing virus

"Our findings indicate that feeding insects with NaB before exposure to the virus can counteract the negative effects of pathogens," Wu said

Wu's team also conducted an experiment in an apiary

"This is a very interesting study because we tested the effects of NaB on bees of different sizes, from the genetic level, to laboratory behavior, and then in the wild in natural settings," Wu said

"Sodium butyrate is really cheap

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan

Journal Reference :

1. Cheng-Kang Tang, Yu-Hsien Lin, Joe-Air Jiang, Yun-Heng Lu, Chih-Hsuan Tsai, Yu-Chun Lin, Yun-Ru Chen, Carol-P Wu, Yueh-Lung Wu.