Save the Bees: a (Non-Potluck) Article from Current Biology

"Save the bees" has become a common rallying call to the environmentally conscious. Even large corporations such as General Mills have joined in by offering free flower seed packs with specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios. Now, a recent article published in Current Biology looks at the molecular determinants of bee sensitivity to insecticides--specifically neonicotinoid insecticides--with the hope safe-guarding the health of bees. Previous studies have shown that not all neonicotinoids affect honey bees to the same degree, however specific genes and enzymes responsible for the magnitude of the bees' sensitivity to any given insecticide remained unknown. The authors demonstrate that the honeybee gene CYP9Q3 produces the cytochrome P450 which is responsible for the metabolizing of certain toxins found within neonicotinoid insecticides, thus decreasing the honeybee's sensitivity. Additionally, the authors found an equivalent gene, CYP9Q4 in bumble bees. Bees are vital to both the health of the eco-system, and economically important crops; this research may present a new pathway for bee conservation.

You can find the link to the article from Current Biology here

-Leanne Chambers

Leanne's First Current Biology Journal Update