Scientists have developed an innovative method to examine DNA traces in honey that may help with the early identification of health problems in a hive when a deadly new disease variant cuts a swathe through global populations.
The new test will be able to help identify potential diseases like the latest variant of the Deformed Wing Virus threatening bees, as well as mapping their interaction with other species and local botanical diversity.
Researchers at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center (BSRC) Alexander Fleming in Vari, Greece, invented a system called ‘direct-shotgun metagenomics’ which enables them to identify DNA fragments found in honey.
