'Very encouraging': Scientists discover way to boost honey bee immune systems, ward off deadly viruses

A new method of boosting the immune systems of honey bees could help the pollinator ward off different types of deadly viruses, a recent study has found.

A new method of boosting the immune systems of honey bees could help the pollinator ward off different types of deadly viruses, a recent study has found.

Researchers from the University of Florida, Louisiana State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln published a paper on June 22 in the peer-reviewed Virology Journal about a treatment, which they say stimulates the antiviral responses of bees.

Using a drug called pinacidil, which produced slightly more highly reactive molecules known as free radicals, the researchers say it greatly reduced — and in some cases almost eliminated — infection.

"While free radicals are often bad for cell health, in moderate amounts they can be therapeutic, as we see in this study," Troy Anderson, study co-author and a professor of entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said in a news release Thursday.

"In this case, the additional free radicals signal to the immune system to ramp up, which helps the bees fight off viruses."

The researchers note that multiple factors, including viruses, have contributed to the overall population decline of honey bees, whose ability to pollinate crops makes them important for food production.

As part of the study, the researchers mixed pinacidil with sugar water for the bees to eat and feed to their young.