Team:Toulouse/test
#contentSub, #search-controls, .firstHeading, #-box, #catlinks, #p-logo { display:none;}
"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.
No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
Apis mellifera, the most efficient and widespread honey producing species, is particularly affected by the mite Varroa destructor. This pathogen is actually the second cause of death for european bees. Indeed, according to beekeepers, up to 50 % of the swarms are lost every year, partly because of these parasites, causing tremendous economic damages to beekeepers.
Our team is committed to preserving honeybees by fighting these mites. The aim of our project is to work out a bacterium capable of baiting and eliminating the parasite using the tools offered by synthetic biology. Our bacteria, named ApiColi, will be safely placed in a trap and will express alternatively an attractant and a poison for the Varroa destructor, in agreement with the honeybee life cycle. Our trap will be sealed to avoid any contact of the microorganism with the bees and the environment. We hope that our concept will help reduce the decrease in bee populations and its disastrous consequences.
