Nicotine and Caffeine May Extend the Healthy Life of Bees: Nature's Medicine Cabinet

Nicotine isn't healthy for people. It can cause a host of problems if we have too much of it. Now, though, researchers have found that the naturally occurring chemicals found in tobacco flowers and other plants may just be the right prescription for ailing bees.

Plants produce chemicals called secondary metabolites to defend leaves against herbivores. These chemicals are also found in nectar for pollinators. That said, very little is known about how these chemicals impact pollinators, such as bees.

That's why researchers decided to take a closer look. The scientists inoculated individual bumble bees with an intestinal parasite. Then, they tested the effect of eight naturally occurring nectar chemicals on parasite population growth.

What did they find? It turns out that when bees consumed some of these chemicals, it lessened the intensity of infections by up to 81 percent. This could significantly reduce the spread of parasites within and between bee colonies.

"Our novel results highlight that secondary metabolites in floral nectar may play a vital role in reducing bee-parasite interactions," said Rebecca Irwin, the senior author of the new study, in a news release.

Bee populations continue to decline worldwide. These latest findings could give beekeepers a new method to help treat bees. Colony collapse disorder is thought mainly to be caused by stressors, like parasites. Reducing the amount of infected bees could be a way to help prevent colony collapse.

Growing plants high in these compounds could be a huge part of improving bee health. If bees are exposed to the chemicals found in these plants through pollination, they could potentially receive benefits and be healthier.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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