Honey Made without the Help of Bees to Protect Wild Bees

American researchers are working on making honey identical to the original product but without any help from any honeybees, partly to address the issue caused by honey production: the impact honeybees have on biodiversity.

“We decided to look into science to produce honey just like honeybees make it, but removing them from the supply chain so we can help wild bees to thrive,” says Darko Mandich, CEO of MeliBio, a California-based startup. “There are 20,000 other bee species that are wild and native species, and those species are jeopardized with current honey production, which completely relies on commercial beekeeping.”

It is through the use of synthetic biology that researchers reproduce the compounds found in honey: they isolate DNA and give the genetic blueprint to microorganisms in a bioreactor to start the production. Their efforts will contribute to helping native bees which are already facing many perils like pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat.