The concept is simple. Most antibiotics used in both human and animal medicine are broad spectrum, doing away with many good as well as bad actors. Overuse of these materials results in resistance building up, making some antibiotics no longer usable. At the same time, many good or beneficial organisms are killed off with often unrecognized consequences.
The history of antibiotic use in beekeeping is long. Major use of antibiotics came into being in controlling foulbrood diseases.
After January 1, 2017, antibiotic use in honey bees was place under the animal veterinary umbrella. The latest information from the USDA on this was published January 18, 2018.
“The microbial make-up of the human intestinal tract, called the microbiome, has received increasing attention over the past few years, particularly as it relates to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. But bees? I talked with Department of Integrative Biology researcher and beekeeper, Nancy Moran, who co-authored the review, which included about seven years of studies describing microbiology of bee gut. Dr. Moran has taken a closer look – literally – at the features, shapes, and getting to name the genus-species – none had names – of the bacteria living inside of the intestinal tract of bees.”
The bottom line. Don’t use antibiotics unless they are necessary in both honey bee and human medicine. Overuse risks serious unintended consequences.
