Solution for Bee Hive Health Researchers at the University of Minnesota are working to understand the issues and possible remedies for the decline of honey bee colonies. The team has identified a group of natural compounds that may be used as a treatment to help promote and maintain honey bee health. United States agriculture leans heavily on bee pollination, which adds more than $17 billion in value to various crop industries annually. As the dependency on bee pollination escalates, however, bee populations consistently suffer from high disease and parasite-driven mortality rates that impede their ability to meet commercial demand. Honey bees are exposed to a number of pathogens, including P. larvae and A. apis, two strains of microorganisms. Effectively combating these microorganisms is critical to improving the survival of economically and ecologically important bee populations. Entomology and horticultural researchers at the University of Minnesota recently developed new technology for protecting bees from these bacteria. Their technology comprises six flavanone-3-alkyl esters extracted and purified from the resins used for bee hive construction. The isolated compounds confer hives with disease resistance and have demonstrated impressive antimicrobial and antifungal activity in vitro, particularly with respect to P. larvae and A. apis. Whether alone or in combination with other compounds, this technology could be applied directly to bee hives to protect them from disease and promote bee health.

Primary Inventors Dr. Marla Spivak Distinguished McKnight Professor Department of Entomology

Technology Status Lab studies have been successfully completed. The team is now moving to test the solution on small scale field trials.

Dr. Jerry Cohen

Gordon and Margaret Bailey Professor Department of Horticultural Science Dr. Michael B. Wilson Lecturer/Research Associate Department of Horticultural Science and Center for Drug Design Dr. Adrian D. Hegeman Associate Professor Department of Horticultural Science

IP: UM Docket 20150138 Provisional Patent Application Filed

Contact Name Russ Straate, Associate Director Venture Center, Office of Technology Commercialization Phone: 612.625.5878 E-mail: [email protected]

Office for Technology Commercialization www.research.umn.edu/techcomm • [email protected] • 612.624.0550 © 2013 Regents of the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.