Finnish honey bee vaccine approved in US

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved a conditional license for the world´s first vaccine for honey bees developed in Finland, reported British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The vaccine developed by Helsinki University researchers Dalial Freitak and Heli Salmela was engineered to prevent fatalities from American foulbrood disease, a bacterial condition known to weaken colonies by attacking bee larvae.

As pollinators, bees play a critical role in many aspects of the ecosystem.

The vaccine could serve as a "breakthrough in protecting honey bees", Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser said in a statement, said the BBC report.

It works by introducing an inactive version of the bacteria into the royal jelly fed to the queen, whose larvae then gain immunity.

Click BBC to read the detail original report.