Bees forage on fungi amongst other things

[Murox]

I listened to a fascinating talk about Bees and Fungi presented by Dr Nicholas Naeger via the Scottish Beekeepers Association winter webinars last night. Well worth watching if you can access the SBA recording. Gave some interesting insights into just what bees seem to forage on other than nectar and pollen.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Background to fungi & human health told here by the dynamic & engaging Merlin Sheldrake, author of the wonderful book Entangled Life.

 

[Murox]

Bees just wanna have fungi a link to an abstract of the same title, full review available from that link.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees just wanna have fungi a link to an abstract of the same title, full review available from that link.

Thank you for that. Very interesting

 

[JohnRB]

I watched this lecture too - highly recommend it. Further, Dr Nicholas has gathered $1million in funding to try and commercialise a fungi that kills varroa - exciting stuff!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm certain a few on here are rather partial to a certain type of fungi in their tea.

 

[pargyle]

I watched it as well ... Very interesting. It reminded me thayt a few years ago Phil Chandler was talking about deep litter floors under his top bar hives and listening to Nicholas he was talking about introducing rotten wood and compost into a hive using a frame feeder made with mesh sides to introduce the right conditions for the microbes to thrive ... I was fascinated with his work on microbes that could kill varroa but had no effect on the bees - still some way off a product that could be commercial but he's on the way. Mind you .. they have the same problem with the FDA in the USA as we have with the VMD over here - there's probably little chance of anything like it getting approval here !

 

[Murox]

I watched it as well ... Very interesting. It reminded me thayt a few years ago Phil Chandler was talking about deep litter floors under his top bar hives and listening to Nicholas he was talking about introducing rotten wood and compost into a hive using a frame feeder made with mesh sides to introduce the right conditions for the microbes to thrive ... I was fascinated with his work on microbes that could kill varroa but had no effect on the bees - still some way off a product that could be commercial but he's on the way. Mind you .. they have the same problem with the FDA in the USA as we have with the VMD over here - there's probably little chance of anything like it getting approval here !

Yes I was reminded similarly.

 

[Murox]

Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees a 'food for thought' paper, with lots of links and background .

 

[ericbeaumont]

worth watching if you can access the SBA recording.

Any way to watch this, Murox? SBA website doesn't have recordings, and the forum seems to have ground to a halt in 2022.

 

[Murox]

Any way to watch this, Murox? SBA website doesn't have recordings, and the forum seems to have ground to a halt in 2022.

I will check with SBA. some are recorded via members area . I will get back to you.

 

[jarmo henttu]

I listened to a fascinating talk about Bees and Fungi presented by Dr Nicholas Naeger via the Scottish Beekeepers Association winter webinars last night. Well worth watching if you can access the SBA recording. Gave some interesting insights into just what bees seem to forage on other

What then... bees drink many kinds of water outside, clean water from.morning mist from.plants, dirty water from soil, juice of manure.

Honeydew has plenty of yeast cells and bacterias from air.

The bee gut has special microbia which are very constant around the world. It is very diffivult to change them. Look from Texas university studies.

 

[Murox]

What then... bees drink many kinds of water outside, clean water from.morning mist from.plants, dirty water from soil, juice of manure.

Honeydew has plenty of yeast cells and bacterias from air.

The bee gut has special microbia which are very constant around the world. It is very diffivult to change them. Look from Texas university studies.

One of the main things was the notion that bees may actually be "self medicating" through their drinking from certain sources, in particular from certain polypore fungi and mycelium sources and soil borne sources. Tentative evidence was emerging regarding the effect on viruses in particular, and of course as you mentioned yeasts play a role.
Some of it we probably just 'know' anecdotally anyway.

 

[TomP-]

This link should work. At least it worked for me. It is the February webinar.

https://scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/webinars

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes for me too.

 

[Mint Bee]

All about money Phil and avoiding litigation in the USA. Would cost a lot to get the evidence that this would require to get approval as a new treatment. $1M doesn't actually go very far when it comes to development, GMP manufacturing and trial costs. Anyone investing this would expect a return on their investment, so beekeeper end up paying for this. In the same way that licensed OA is far more expensive than wood cleaning OA. May be if spores were sold as treatment for internal hive walls it would work out at a reasonable price

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Background to fungi & human health told here by the dynamic & engaging Merlin Sheldrake, author of the wonderful book Entangled Life.

Always grateful for a recommendation. By way of a trade, I'll mention Otherlands: a world in the making, by Thomas Halliday, which was a gripping and edifying read for me.

 

[ericbeaumont]

This link should work. At least it worked for me. It is the February webinar.

https://scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/webinars

Thanks, Tom. I haden't realised that registration would give the recording.

 

[Murox]

I will check with SBA. some are recorded via members area . I will get back to you.

I emailedSBA but have not yet had response. Looks as though you have all found a way in though.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Background to fungi & human health told here by the dynamic & engaging Merlin Sheldrake, author of the wonderful book Entangled Life.

A fantastic read. Thanks for the recommendation.