Keith delaplane honey bees and beekeeping

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Dr. Keith S. Delaplane explains the honey bee "Superorganism"

At a time when some beekeepers are struggling to keep their colonies alive and pollinating, the prospect of a vaccine for honeybees has offered a flicker of hope. The scientists behind the project say the vaccine is designed to protect honeybees from microbial diseases that can decimate bee populations. If the technology can be adapted to fight a multitude of infections, experts hope it can provide one solution for the array of problems facing bees, which pollinate about one-third of food in the United States. Beekeepers in the United States lost an estimated 40 percent of their honeybee colonies in one year, according to data from April to April kept by Bee Informed Partnership, a consortium of universities and research laboratories. Dalial Freitak, one of the scientists behind the vaccine, said she hoped it can make bees more resilient in a perilous environment. Because of regulatory hurdles, such as safety testing, it will be years before a vaccine hits the market, Dr. Freitak said.