The Case of the Bad Hives -- Genetically Engineered Honeybees

Dogs aside, you might consider the honeybee man's best friend. Not only does it produce honey and wax but it also pollinates fruits and vegetables. However, the honeybee is in grave danger from something called foulbrood disease, as well as a dozen other pathogens and parasites. Should this insect succumb, the loss to American agriculture would be catastrophic. Scientists at the USDA are fighting to save the honeybee by mapping its genome, and they are closing in on certain disease-resistant genes. A genetically engineered, disease-resistant honeybee would certainly cause a buzz ...

All 50 Secrets of the Sequence videos have an accompanying classroom-tested lesson that encourages students to further explore the video topics. Each lesson includes background information, state and national science standards, discussion questions and answers, teacher notes and an activity that will ensure a hands-on, "minds-on" experience. To see lessons for this series, visit http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/secretsofthesequence/.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• vcu
• virginia
• commonwealth
• university
• richmond
• rams
• bees
• gene
• dna
• science
• health
• cells
• biology
• genetics

[workwithnature]

If you guys think you will-not damage nature by the way "Scientists " play God.

Think about it, if you take a small peace out of one part of nature. Probably not related, and put it back into another part of nature, can you predict the outcome that this will have for years to come? If you look at Nature She is all connected through food chains and cycles. If you change one thing you change the hole. How can you be so stupid? We need to stop harming her! BTW I am a beekeeper, Stop!!!!!!!

[tappakeggaday1]

I am trying to learn about bees not only by watching the video's but also by the responses that follows.1 I learn people who clean the supers it looks like most supers are clean after spinning the honey out and then put them back in,2. the bees clean these back up and use them again.but like our refrigerator food goes bad after a time and we throw it out.wouldn't bees want to swarm to build new hive instead of moving out of the old refrigerator?might be a build up of old particles making this.

[haramacad]

this is wrong

[ECCOOKBEES]

A mad beekeeper one reason is when people like this show up they did not come to listenbut to tell you what you're doing wrong. But there's one thing for sure if they had body lice like the bees have mites I would show up at their house to eat a meal.

[MzProgressive]

OMG!! MORE gov't sponsored propaganda to support genetic modification!!

For the record: the President of my State's beekeeper association says Colony Collapse Disorder has NOT occured with beekeepers who ONLY take their hives to ORGANIC Crops!

CCD showed up RIGHT after a "new" pesticides designed for GMO crops were introduced!

STATE schools should stop promulgating corporate PR as "science!"

[eRepair]

I don't think genetic engineering is required to solve many of the honeybee problems. While some of the problems are certainly genetic, others are not, pesicides, etc. Apiaries