According to a BBC article, the U.S.'s $2.5 billion almond industry depends mightily on the health of the humble honey bee. And those honey bees are in short supply because of a mite problem.
The mighty mites have developed resistance to chemical solutions, and now scientist have come up with a new solution, in the nick of thyme:
Developed by Vita Europe, the thymol-based treatment is derived from thyme, and vapours from oil extracted from the herb have proved useful in killing the varroa mites.
...In tests, thymol had been able to knock out more than 90% of the mites in a colony, said Dr Watkins.
It's kind of satisfying to know that in this day and age, the captains of industry owe so much to bees and a common herb.
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