<h5>What vaccine has been approved?</h5>  <p>The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the world's first insect vaccine. Dalan Animal Health, a US company, developed the vaccine to protect honeybees from a deadly bacterial disease named American foulbrood (AFB) disease. This disease can wipe out entire hives.</p>
<p>Until recently, the only way to fight the disease was to burn the infected hives and bees. This new vaccine can help prevent this. USDA has approved the licence for two years. Dalan will offer the vaccine to beekeepers on a limited basis and plans to make it available for purchase in the United States of America (USA) this year.</p>
<p>The vaccine is given by mixing it with queen feed. The worker bees then mix it into the royal jelly, which they then feed to the queen. She consumes it, and the vaccine gets stored in her ovaries. So, the developing larvae are born with immunity to the disease since they have been exposed to the vaccine.</p>
<p>Dalan plans to develop vaccines for other honeybee diseases as well as for other agricultural insects such as shrimps, mealworms, etc.
</p> <h5>What is American foulbrood disease?</h5>  <p>American foulbrood is a bacterial disease that weakens and destroys honey bee colonies. Although AFB is not extremely contagious, it can easily spread between hives and apiaries. The disease can spread through beekeeping procedures such as equipment exchange and the movement of infected honeycombs.</p>
<p>Adult bees are not harmed by AFB, although they can spread it between infected and clean hives. AFB spores can live for more than 50 years and are extremely resistant to freezing and high temperatures. So, the only way to treat the disease is to prevent infections and deal with the infected colonies quickly before the others become affected.
</p> <h5>Why is it important to save honeybees?</h5> <figure>
        <img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/world%E2%80%99s-first-insect-vaccine-for-honeybees-approved-in-the-us%2Fshutterstock_2143920445.jpg?alt=media&token=b17bcce0-2222-49a8-92e2-577192dc7d65" alt="Why is it important to save honeybees?" >
        <figcaption>A honey bee pollinating an almond tree. </figcaption>
      </figure> <p>Honeybees help in pollinating plants. Bees are an important part of the biodiversity on which we all rely for survival. They produce honey, royal jelly, beeswax, etc. Beekeeping is also an important source of income for many people.</p>
<p>Pollinators such as honeybees directly contribute to food security. Bee experts at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) say that bees are responsible for one-third of the world's food production. Honey Bees spread pollen from flowers to other plants. This allows plants and many food crops to reproduce.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats, etc., are increasingly threatened by human activity. In recent years, bee populations have been decreasing worldwide due to climate changes, excessive usage of chemicals, and diseases like AFB.</p>
<p>So, it's important that we try to save them, or else it will only affect our chances of survival.
</p> <h5>What did we learn from this article?</h5>  <p>We learned about the importance of pollinators like honeybees and what diseases are affecting them. They are one of the main causes behind the reproduction of various food crops and plants. The survival of honeybees is needed for the survival of human beings.</p>

Honeybees are very important for the ecosystem but they can get infected by deadly diseases. Recently, a vaccine has been developed for one such disease.

World’s First Insect Vaccine Made for Honeybees

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World’s First Insect Vaccine Made for Honeybees

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