MSU combats wild bee virus

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 3/10/21

Turns out, bees get the common cold much like humans do. Michelle Flenniken, an associate professor for Montana State University’s Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, is working with a team of researchers across the world involving 1,300 bee specimens across 14 different sites to learn more about a wild bee virus and prevent it from causing too much harm to the species. AnBV-1 affects mining bees and honeybees and is believed to be an evolved virus that already exists in the bee world. Flenniken says that learning more about these wild bee viruses can help us better understand other factors that lead to colony collapse and help them better prevent massive losses in the bee population.