Paul Staments, the famous mycologist, has inspired me for ages. His research is ever-promising and whenever I read something new about him, it always seems that he’s found a mushroom to solve yet another planetary catastrophe. And again today – The New York Times has a short story about how he may have found a mushroom to treat viruses that are killing bees and causing colony collapse.

“Our research shows that extracts from the living mycelial tissue of common wood conk mushrooms known to have antiviral properties significantly reduced these viruses in honeybee colonies, in one field test by 45,000 times, compared to control colonies. In the field tests, we used extracts from two species of wood conks, the red reishi and the amadou.”

If you are a bee keeper, or even just bee-concerned, it is worth reading the article. He might soon be looking for help with a large-scale rollout of mushroom-laden antiviral bee feeders to reverse our declining bee population.

image Credit Lilli Carré via the New York Times.

More posts about bees and mushrooms:

• The Mushroom Shot
• What is healthy soil made of? A garden designers guide to the underground
• The Bees Have Arrived
• A list of 5 unique flowering trees for northern gardeners (with pictures)
• Magical Mushrooms