Genetically altered strains of bacteria from honey bee guts can fight virus and mites that threaten this population
Genetically altering strains of bacteria found in the guts of honey bees appears to protect the insects against two major causes of the colony collapse disorder observed in recent years – Varroa mites and deformed wing virus (DWV). The researchers at the University of Texas at Austin believe that they could eventually scale up production of the bacteria to help protect hives.