Spider venom could be cure to saving honeybees, by replacing type of pesticide blamed for hive losses

Spider venom could be the cure to saving the world's shrinking honeybee population, according to a study by researchers at Australia's Newcastle University published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. Researchers say they have created a bio-pesticide using "a natural toxin from the venom of an Australian funnel web spider (right) and snowdrop lectin" that is highly toxic to a number of key insect pests but is safe for honeybees, according to a Newcastle news release.

Pesticides known as neonicotinoids have been blamed for wiping out 40 to 50 percent of hives, while another virus, tobacco ringspot, has also been blamed for the deaths of honeybees, which pollinate about 90 crops worldwide, generating $14 billion a year.

The study's "authors say the insect-specific compound has huge potential as an environmentally-benign, ‘bee-safe’ bio-pesticide and an alternative to the chemical neonicotinoid pesticides," states the release. Lead researcher Erich Nakasu said in a statement: “This is an oral pesticide, so unlike some that get absorbed through the exoskeleton, the spider/snowdrop recombinant protein has to be ingested by the insects.” Although the pesticide goes to the bee's brain, it has no effect on the insect. Larvae were also shown to be unaffected by the pesticide. (Read more)