Context
Honeybees worldwide face a complex of stressors: pesticides, loss of forage, the Varroa destructor mite, viral infections. Finding additional ways to support hive health is an active research area.
What the studies showed
Research groups in the US and Europe published data showing that mycelium extracts of certain mushroom species, added to supplemental feed, reduce the titer of deformed wing virus (DWV) and, in some studies, improve overwinter survival of bee colonies. The effect was seen in small samples and depended on concentration and delivery method.
Limitations
- most published works are pilots with a small number of hives;
- results differ by region and season;
- commercial preparations based on these data are registered in a number of countries as food and functional supplements.
This material is informational and represents a review of published research.
Related materials
- Stamets's book and its key ideas: Mycelium Running.
- Another approach to protecting bees — entomopathogenic fungi against the Varroa destructor mite: Entomopathogenic fungi.
- Reishi as one of the key species in these experiments: the reishi card.