New Research | U.S. Study Confirms That Reishi Mushroom Helps Bees Fight Viruses

[Preface]

Humans have the influenza virus, pigs have the African swine fever virus, and even bees—whose contribution supports half of global agriculture—are on the brink of collapse due to viral spread.

At a time when there are no effective antiviral countermeasures available, a study published in Scientific Reports by Washington State University in the U.S. and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture brings good news: "Reishi mushroom helps bees fight viruses."

It turns out that reishi mushrooms can save lives across species—effective not only for mammals but even for insects! Thankfully, we have reishi mushrooms to keep us from going crazy along with the virus!

Written by Wu Tingyao

Do bees eat lingzhi mushrooms? Yes! Bees forage among trees that are home to fungi—including lingzhi—and suck the sap from the fungal mycelium embedded in the wood.

This innate behavior, driven by biological instinct, has piqued the curiosity of researchers who have long been concerned with the health of honeybees—could honeybees be absorbing some therapeutically beneficial compounds from it? After all, numerous previous studies have already confirmed that active ingredients found in fungi can exert antibacterial and antiviral effects.

Interestingly, this innate behavior of bees was discovered long ago but had consistently been overlooked by researchers. It wasn't until the past decade—when Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), characterized by the sudden disappearance of worker bees from large numbers of hives and leading to the collapse of bee ecosystems, began spreading globally—that scientists started taking it seriously. Although viral infections are considered one of the possible culprits behind CCD, effective countermeasures to halt the spread of these viruses within bee colonies have yet to be developed. As a result, the role of fungi such as Ganoderma in promoting bee health has become a topic of intense scientific debate.

After all, more than one-third of the world’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables rely on bee pollination to bear fruit. Today, the global bee population has declined by more than 30% compared to ten years ago due to the occurrence of Colony Collapse Disorder. The agricultural and food crisis caused by this decline is just as urgent as the current climate crisis.

A study jointly published in October 2018 by Washington State University in the U.S., the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other institutions in “Scientific Reports” confirmed that Reishi mushroom ( Ganoderma Feeding bees with mycelial extracts can effectively reduce the viral load in their bodies within a short period, offering “practical and feasible” hope for maintaining bee health.

Lingzhi significantly reduces the viral load in bees.

The two viruses selected as evaluation indicators for this study are deformed wing virus (DWV) and lake sinai virus (LSV).

The former is widely found in honeybees across various populations. Infected bees not only exhibit deformed and shriveled wings, but also experience shortened lifespans, reduced foraging activity, and weakened immune systems. The latter primarily parasitizes honeybees in Europe and North America. The more bees in a colony that become infected—and the greater the viral load within each bee—the more severely the colony will decline and the harder it will be to recover.

Researchers randomly sampled and tested bee colonies participating in this study and found that these colonies generally harbored both viruses, with the Sinai virus LSV being present at higher levels. Furthermore, experiments conducted under typical beekeeping conditions—where bees are actually raised by commercial beekeepers—demonstrated:

Add 1% concentration of Reishi mushroom to the sugar syrup used for feeding bees (3 liters). G. resinaceum ) Mycelial extract (as shown in Figure A): After 12 days, the levels of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and Lake Sevan Virus (LSV) in bees were reduced by 79-fold and 45,000-fold, respectively, compared to the control group that had not been fed syrup supplemented with Ganoderma extract (as shown in Figure B). Moreover, the effect was superior to that achieved with Trametes versicolor. Fomes fomentarius Mycelial extract—this type of fungus, like Reishi, parasitizes birch trees frequented by European and American honeybees.

(Source: Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 4;8(1):13936.)

A tiny virus has thrown the whole world into chaos—but fortunately, reishi mushrooms can save lives across species.

It’s a fact that bee populations have been declining steadily over the past century—but never before have they disappeared so rapidly and on such a widespread scale as in the past decade. Viral infections are considered one of the primary threats to bee survival. Bees can contract viruses not only through mutual infection during pollination (while collecting nectar)—where they may ingest viruses left behind by previous bees on pollen—but also by becoming infected with parasites that carry these viruses themselves.

Taking the Western honeybee—the most common species in Europe and North America—as an example, the Varroa mite ( Varroamites ) These are the primary vectors that transmit the virus to bees, and the viruses they carry currently include at least ten known strains. Among these, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and Lake Sinai Virus (LSV) pose the greatest threat to bee health.

In the absence of a “direct antiviral” approach, “acaricides” have become beekeepers’ primary means of indirectly controlling the spread of viruses within bee colonies. However, the acaricidal efficacy of these chemicals seems to be declining steadily, as the tenacious Varroa mites have developed resistance to these synthetically produced chemical agents. Consequently, how to maintain healthy bee colony populations has become the most pressing and troubling issue for beekeepers.

These beekeeping farmers rely on the bees they raise to provide services to farm after farm, year after year. If bee colonies continue to shrink at this rate, even if farms are willing to pay a higher price for these services, there will eventually come a point when “money can no longer solve the problem.”

As revealed by the aforementioned study, simply adding a certain dose of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium extract to the sugar syrup used for feeding bees can rapidly reduce the viral load within their bodies. This is undoubtedly a simple, convenient, cost-effective, and immediately implementable solution.

It turns out that reishi mushroom’s life-saving effects are species-independent—it’s not only effective for mammals but also works when ingested by insects! As for its antiviral mechanism, despite all the variations, the underlying principle remains unchanged: reishi mushroom exerts its “tonifying and strengthening” effect by enhancing the host organism’s own immune function.

The invisible virus hasn't just disrupted the human world (the influenza virus); it has also thrown the pig world (the African swine fever virus) and the bee world into chaos. Fortunately, heaven has left us a secret treasure—a clever solution that prevents us from going mad along with the virus—as long as we’re willing to make good use of it.

[Source] Stamets PE, et al. Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 4;8(1):13936.

[About the Author / Wu Tingyao]

Having reported firsthand news about Lingzhi since 1999, he continues to do so to this day and is the author of “Lingzhi: Marvelous Beyond Words” (published by People’s Medical Publishing House in April 2017).

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