Fungus may be more than a mite helpful to bees

A mushroom extract may give beekeepers a valuable tool in fighting a colony collapse disorder that threatens honey bee hives and agricultural production across the globe, according to researchers from Washington State University and a private company in western Washington.

Scientists found when they fed bees an extract derived from Amado and reishi mushrooms, it led to a nearly 80-fold decrease in deformed wing virus and reduced Lake Sinai virus by a whopping 45,000 times. Both viruses are spread by varroa mites that plague honey bee colonies.

“The question becomes, by reducing the viruses will it mean the mites become less of a dangerous parasite? We don’t yet know that,” said Steve Sheppard, a WSU entomology professor. “We have opened the door with being able to see we have a way to reduce viruses in bee hives. Now we need to make the link in improving colony health.”

Pollinator and agriculture experts have been perplexed by losses experienced by beekeepers over the past decade or so. Known as colony collapse disorder, it has resulted in annual reductions of 30 percent or more in commercial hives and has driven up pollination costs for farmers.

Though researchers have yet to produce a scalable mushroom-based product for beekeepers, they believe doing so is possible and could prove to be a key to keeping hives healthy and agriculture functioning smoothly. It also could benefit native plants that depend on pollinators.

“Our greatest hope is that these extracts have such an impact on viruses that they may help varroa mites become an annoyance for bees, rather than causing huge devastation,” Sheppard said. “We’re excited to see where this research leads us. Time is running out for bee populations, and the safety and security of the world’s food supply hinges on our ability to find means to improve pollinator health.”

Sheppard and others at WSU worked with Paul Stamets of the Olympia-based company Fungi Perfecti and scientists with the U.S Department of Agriculture to develop and test the extract. They recently detailed their results in “Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees,” published Thursday in Scientific Reports.

The researchers are conducting additional trials and also working to increase production of the extracts.

“We are ramping up production of the extracts as rapidly as is feasible, given the hurdles we must overcome to deploy this on a wide scale,” Stamets said. “Those who are interested in being kept up to date can sign up for more information at www.fungi.com.”

Sheppard said researchers at the university also are working with a soilborne fungus that may prove useful in reducing mite infestations in bee hives. Aside from spreading viruses, mites can harm colonies in other ways.

“It’s a dual approach — reducing viruses spread by mites and coming up with a means to reduce mites themselves,” he said.

Today, beekeepers try to control mite infestations with the use of chemicals or miticides. According to the paper, chemicals are an imperfect solution because the mites have proved adept at developing resistance to the chemicals.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.