Modified bacteria targets varroa

[RJC]

Saw this yesterday; a bacterium that lives in the gut of bees has been modified to attack varroa: sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/mite-destroying-gut-bacterim-might-help-save-vulernerable-noney-bees?

 

[viridens]

Working link to the article https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/mite-destroying-gut-bacterium-might-help-save-vulnerable-honey-bees

 

[Goran]

Human stupidity is indestructible.. To laugh and cry at same time..
We should maintain pollution or increase it, but we will modify guts to endure more.. What a cunning idea..

 

[Popparand]

Human stupidity is indestructible.. To laugh and cry at same time..
We should maintain pollution or increase it, but we will modify guts to endure more.. What a cunning idea..

On the other hand millions of people would have died if penicillin had not been developed to combat infections. Let's not knock this work. Killer bugs to wack varroa mites sound like a good idea.

 

[Murox]

On the other hand millions of people would have died if penicillin had not been developed to combat infections. Let's not knock this work. Killer bugs to wack varroa mites sound like a good idea.

Wouldn't we have "locally adapted? !!"

 

[For want of a better word]

Wouldn't we have "locally adapted? !!"

Snodgrassella alvi

Why not..... If this happens a Nobel Prize for the advancement of Science must be awarded!

Mean while keep treating the girls with the OA, whatever way you choose to apply it!!

Chons da

 

[Goran]

On the other hand millions of people would have died if penicillin had not been developed to combat infections. Let's not knock this work. Killer bugs to wack varroa mites sound like a good idea.

Hah, opitimist. I really wish You are right and I am wrong..

 

[charlievictorbravo]

...but how am I going to be able to call my product "natural pure raw artisan honey" if it's genetically modified?



CVB

 

[pnkemp]

People call their honey Organic without any way of preventing bees from feeding on crops that use non-natural treatments, I don't see how this would be different.

 

[For want of a better word]

...but how am I going to be able to call my product "natural pure raw artisan honey" if it's genetically modified?



CVB

Shirley that should be" BEST Cornish natural pure raw artisan honey"

Trust me...

It will be OK Colin, no honey will be genetically modified, and I expect if we could wait long enough and ban all these imported foreign johnnie bees, it would happen naturally... bee gut bugs attacking the Varroa mite that is!!!

I know someone who has a Doctorate in bee stuff...

Yeghes da

 

[Ian123]

People call their honey Organic without any way of preventing bees from feeding on crops that use non-natural treatments, I don't see how this would be different.

Who does!!!!

 

[Buzzlodge]

Working link to the article https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/mite-destroying-gut-bacterium-might-help-save-vulnerable-honey-bees

I'd say varroa would be resistant to this almost instantaneously.

The kill was only very partial "The mites were 70% more likely to die on the treated bees than untreated ones"
How many mites die naturally on untreated bees? A minority (say 10%). And treatment only increased this by 70% (that would be 17%, meaning 83% survive in this example).
The surviving mites will go onto raise more resitant offspring.

Makes a nice article and an interesting experiment but I cant see it being of any practical use (and thats not considering the release of genetically altered organisms issue)

 

[For want of a better word]

I'd say varroa would be resistant to this almost instantaneously.

The kill was only very partial "The mites were 70% more likely to die on the treated bees than untreated ones"
How many mites die naturally on untreated bees? A minority (say 10%). And treatment only increased this by 70% (that would be 17%, meaning 83% survive in this example).
The surviving mites will go onto raise more resitant offspring.

Makes a nice article and an interesting experiment but I cant see it being of any practical use (and thats not considering the release of genetically altered organisms issue)

Possibly a bit of a simplistic view as the science needs to discover the mechanism that allowed a few mites to survive.

Probably we get to see only part of the story as the researchers rush to publish their results before another researcher does!

Nature has been gene slicing forever... called evolution.
( But then mans interference in producing the carnolian and Italian hybridised bees should be deemed genetically altered organisms?)

 

[madasafish]

Nature has been gene slicing forever... called evolution.
( But then mans interference in producing the carnolian and Italian hybridised bees should be deemed genetically altered organisms?)

I hope you don't keep a Canis lupus familiaris as a pet as it is a genetically modified Canis lupus. (ditto felis catus)

 

[For want of a better word]

I hope you don't keep a Canis lupus familiaris as a pet as it is a genetically modified Canis lupus. (ditto felis catus)

Yes I do.. have 3 at the moment.
I also keep some Poecilia reticulata
not sure as how much genetic slicing has gone on... but somewhat different I expect from the wild type!

Yeghes da
Cheers

 

[Parsonage Bees]

From the little I know gene-splicing is not equivalent to evolution. It is nothing like as complex. A step in evolution might change 100s of genes in combination. I worry we are not that clever and that the road to gaining that knowledge might produce some disastrous consequences.

Maybe gene-splicing is like putting petrol in a diesel car and finding it will now do 200mph. Great, we like speed. But the brakes won't handle it. And the engine lasts a 100 miles before blowing up.

Here's an idea.
Bee has one of it's gut microbes modified so that an effect is spread through it's body killing the parasitic mite.
Bee visits flower, maybe leaves behind gut bacteria in it's saliva on the flower.
Bumble bee visits flower, picks up gut bacteria which it also happens to have in it's gut.
Bumble bee kills off mites that might be beneficial.
Bumble bee population and pollination suffers. Takes 5 years to work this out. (could be any other pollinator)
Modified bacteria keeps multiplying every 20 minutes being passed on to more insects.

How do you remove that modified bacteria from the environment now we've discovered it's a bad idea?
We've made repeated mistakes with chemicals over the years but at least they degrade in the soil. A modified bacteria would multiply.

I don't sleep that well.

 

[For want of a better word]

Quite so !

Rest assured...
I did some post grad work in a GM facility, GMing E coli bacteria using plasmoids to increase virus DNA.... the Bio Security was exacting!!

 

[Popparand]

From the little I know gene-splicing is not equivalent to evolution. It is nothing like as complex. A step in evolution might change 100s of genes in combination. I worry we are not that clever and that the road to gaining that knowledge might produce some disastrous consequences.

Maybe gene-splicing is like putting petrol in a diesel car and finding it will now do 200mph. Great, we like speed. But the brakes won't handle it. And the engine lasts a 100 miles before blowing up.

Here's an idea.
Bee has one of it's gut microbes modified so that an effect is spread through it's body killing the parasitic mite.
Bee visits flower, maybe leaves behind gut bacteria in it's saliva on the flower.
Bumble bee visits flower, picks up gut bacteria which it also happens to have in it's gut.
Bumble bee kills off mites that might be beneficial.
Bumble bee population and pollination suffers. Takes 5 years to work this out. (could be any other pollinator)
Modified bacteria keeps multiplying every 20 minutes being passed on to more insects.

How do you remove that modified bacteria from the environment now we've discovered it's a bad idea?
We've made repeated mistakes with chemicals over the years but at least they degrade in the soil. A modified bacteria would multiply.

I don't sleep that well.

How does gut bacteria end up in saliva? A bee's gut is separate from the honey sac and head.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

How does gut bacteria end up in saliva? A bee's gut is separate from the honey sac and head.

I don't know. Bee has nosema. Poos or vomits it out. ?

Another idea:
Bee has modified gut bacteria that helps control varroa parasite.
Bee eaten my Asian Hornet.
Maybe AH has this bacteria in it's gut (can it feed on nectar at some stage like a wasp?).
Bacteria multiplies in AH.
AH cannot be contained by beekeepers from spreading.
Problems found with use of GM bacteria . . .. .

 

[Beefriendly]

Quite so !

Rest assured...
I did some post grad work in a GM facility, GMing E coli bacteria using plasmoids to increase virus DNA.... the Bio Security was exacting!!

Bio security for bacterial plasmid transformation in any lab is NOT exacting. Apart from common sense and incineration/autoclaving of waste the strains of E.coli used are all genetically crippled and cannot live outside of a laboratory as they require specialised media.
If you want exacting bio security go work for the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright as I did....Working with FMD, Rabies, SVD, Blue-tongue and many other infectious animal viruses. I won't go into details but you end up having 4-5 showers per day as you moved between building (all under negative pressure). Citric acid spray downs as you moved into and out of any animal units etc etc.