April 29, 2022

Keren Teichner

9th Grade

Ramaz Upper School

In our world there exist thousands of different species of bees, but the seven of these species that can produce honey have long had a target on their backs. Since the 1980s, the bee population has been in rapid decline due to farmers and manufacturers seeking to use the bees for their honey, and in recent years, the bee problem has further deteriorated, leaving the situation worse than ever before. In a study done from April 1, 2020, to April 1, 2021, beekeepers have reported that their honeybees, the bee most of the honey we consume comes from, declined by 45.5% in the United States. Additionally, when a beekeeper keeps honey bees solely for their honey, then the bees' transportation comes with the rapid spread of disease, contaminating both the honey bees and the other species of bees they come into contact with. 

The fact that the bee population is in decline is an imminent threat not only to nature and the different bee species but to the entire planet as well. In their ecosystem, they pollinate flowers and other such plants to enable their growth. In fact, according to statistics, 75% of agriculture worldwide is pollinated by bees, thus bees are intrinsic to humanity’s survival on Earth.

Though these are only seven species of bees, the truth is that they are in danger, and continuing to strain them to produce honey poses a threat to the whole world. One of the pioneer companies to present a solution to this problem is an Israeli company called Bee-io, which successfully created honey in a laboratory that resembles natural honey in every respect, such as color, smell, and even taste. The only difference is that this honey was made without bees. The team consists of Ofir Dvash, Dr. Efrat Dvash, Yaron Kaiser, Arik Kaufman, who co-founded Bee-io, and countless others who have worked together to produce this “bee-free” honey.

 They do this by building the stomach of a bee in their lab. In order to produce honey,  bees need both the nectar from a plant as well as proteins from a bee’s stomach. Bee-io obtains the nectar from plants and produces the protein from a bee in their lab. When they mix them the product they get is honey. 

The average bee can only produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. On the other hand, Bee-io’s “bee-free” honey can allow for greater honey production, as they can potentially produce three tons of honey per week in their facility. Bee-io has accomplished a lot over this journey. Most impressively they are the first to establish a culture honey production facility in the world. As of now, they have the capacity to produce 3% of Israel's annual honey consumption. This process would take only a few hours, compared to the weeks it takes for bees. What is also amazing about this honey is that it still has the same nutrients as honey from bees, if not more, but it is free from any of the bad bacteria found in regular honey. What’s more is that this honey can be produced from any plant, even by using the caffeine from a coffee plant!