American foulbrood disease can reduce thousands of buzzing bees to a rancid brown goo within weeks. The disease has no cure, and in some areas, it can infect one in four hives, threatening the work of America’s managed beehives, which are responsible for pollinating nearly a third of fruits and vegetables. Hope is on the horizon. On Jan. 4, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted a conditional license for Dalan Animal Health’s new honey bee foulbrood vaccine, in the first immunization for insect-kind. The vaccine is ingested by the queen bee and goes straight to her ovaries. When she lays her eggs, each one is primed to mount an immune response, no needle pricks required.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- What a Photographer Saw in the West Bank
- Accenture’s Chief AI Officer on Why This Is a Defining Moment
- Inside COP28's Big 'Experiment'
- U.S. Doctors Can't Be Silent About Gaza: Column
- The Movie Wives Would Like a Word
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023
- The Top 100 Photos of 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
