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Researchers Find That Queen Bees Vaccinate Their Offspring

Posted by timothy on from the bees-are-scary-but-awesome dept.

The Washington Post reports that a team of researchers has discovered a previously unrecognized behavior in bees which gives the insects an extra layer of protection against certain diseases. Though the analogy to human-style vaccination is not perfect, it's close enough to make sense. Queen bees, the group found, break down some disease-causing pathogens found in the pollen and nectar brought to them by worker bees, but do not simply destroy them. Instead, after they are partly broken down, Bits of the pathogens are then transferred to the queen's "fat body," an organ similar to a liver, where they are packaged onto a protein called vitellogenin and delivered to eggs through the queen's blood stream. The result: newly hatched bee larvae that are already immune to the nasty germs that could have plagued the colony. The article notes that "the discovery could extend to other species throughout the animal kingdom," because all egg-laying animals have the same protein.

14 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Just what we need... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    autistic bees

    1. Re:Just what we need... by Bathroom+Humor · · Score: 1

      It does explain a lot.
      Normal bees couldn't possibly create such perfectly hexagonal honey combs.

    2. Re:Just what we need... by stinerman · · Score: 1

      Yep. That's what really caused colony collapse disorder.

  2. Vaccines are for bees. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You are all bees. Bees say bzzz. BZZZZZZZZZZZ! BZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Bzzz bees BZZZZZZZ! Bzzz say the bees. YOU BEES!!

    1. Re:Vaccines are for bees. by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      Just as I was getting used to the cows.

      --
      Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
  3. Queen Bees vaccinate their young except by Virtucon · · Score: 1

    In California the Queen Bees don't vaccinate their young based on personal and religious beliefs.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:Queen Bees vaccinate their young except by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

      You'd think they were part of some hive mind or something.

      --
      Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  4. Queen bees by Presto+Vivace · · Score: 1

    are smarter than they look.

    1. Re:Queen bees by GoodNewsJimDotCom · · Score: 1

      That's only what the queen bee says. She also says,"No one is allowed to make jokes about my fat body".

      --
      God spoke to me
  5. Soandso by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    Bits of the pathogens are then transferred to the queen's "fat body," ...

    "the discovery could extend to other species throughout the animal kingdom," because all egg-laying animals have the same protein.

    And humans, because humans have so many fat bodies!

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  6. I'm a bee livin' that good life by tepples · · Score: 1

    "I'm a bee, I'm a bee, I'm a I'm a I'm a bee"
    -- The Black Eyed Peas

  7. Ender's Game reference? by yurik · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Wasn't something like this mentioned in one of the Ender Game's books? If I remember correctly, the queen of the buggers/formics kept altering the "antivirus" against the semi-intelligent virus found on the planet.

  8. Close? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not close at all idiots..
    Jeez.. where is the mercury and thimersosol and perservatives and fetal cels and and...

  9. I vaccinate my kids. by WallyL · · Score: 1

    You can call me queen bee! I'm in love with being queen.