In huge news that affects the entire planet, scientists Dalial Freitak and Helia Salmela from the University of Helsinki, Finland, have developed the first ever vaccine for honeybees and other pollinators.

The vaccine is named 'PrimeBEE' and it is given to a queen bee via a sugar solution. Once the queen eats the solution, she is then taken back to the hive where she can produce a new generation of vaccinated bees.

Although the vaccine is far from public release, the pollinator disease the scientists have been focusing on is the American foulbrood, a bacterial disease that is said to be the most destructive and widespread of all bee brood diseases. Yet, Frietak states they plan on expanding to cover more pollinator diseases in the future.

"We hope that we can also develop a vaccination against other infections, such as European foulbrood and fungal diseases. We have already started initial tests. The plan is to be able to vaccinate against any microbe."

Since the beginning, the duo has looked to commercialize their vaccine, and has not only filed for a patent, which has since reached the national level, but have also received funding from the university.

"PrimeBEE is a great example of an innovation maturing towards a true commercial seed ready to be spun-out from the University soon. It has been inspiring and rewarding to work together with the researchers towards a common goal," said Sara Kangaspeska, head of innovation at Helsinki Innovation Services, in the school's press release.

Of course there are many hurdles the scientists must overcome, like safety testing, however one source states it could only be a few "years before a vaccine hits the market..." https://tinyurl.com/y8b7s57v