Ancient Bee Elixirs
Honey has always been a sweet treat, but it has also long served as a preservative, medicine and salve. The U.S. Department of Agriculture made medical history last month when it approved the first vaccine for honey bees. Hives will be inoculated against American Foulbrood, a highly contagious bacterial disease that kills bee larvae. Our buzzy friends need all the help they can get. In 2021, a national survey of U.S. beekeepers reported that 45.5% of managed colonies died during the preceding year. Since more than one-third of the foods we eat depend on insect pollinators, a bee-less world would drastically alter everyday life...
Original story by Amanda Foreman on the Wall Street Journal – Date: Feb. 9, 2023
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