Can Mushrooms Save Bees?

Can Mushrooms Save Bees?

Ever notice how honeybees are attracted to mushrooms? Can mushrooms save bees?

Last summer, I noticed my honey bees converging on a broken bag of organic composting medium that was sitting out in my garden. I didn’t think much about the unusual behavior and tossed it off as the honeybees were probably looking for moisture. I also took advantage of planting eggplant seeds on other pots to start growing my food at home.

The new compost bin was overflowing with compost this summer. Surprisingly, that bin was growing all sorts of great looking vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes and squash and all sorts of mushrooms were present too. Again, along with that healthy compost, there was a steady stream of worker bees coming and going all summer long. I didn’t understand what I was seeing, at that time, until I saw this video of Paul Stamets speech given at the 2014 Bioneers Annual Conference. The strong correlation between my observations at Sweet Mountain Farm and the research by renowned mycologist Paul Stamets was astounding. It gave me the willies.

Paul Stamets owns 9 patents on the antiviral, pesticidal, and remediative properties of mushroom mycelia. In his presentation, he speaks about how fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer practical solutions that boost the immune system of honey bees. His research is over-the-top convincing and remarkable.