Hopes beer made from killer bees will create buzz

The 'bee-r' is brewed using an extract from the Africanised honey bee, or killer bee

Scientists at a university are using extracts from killer bees to brew a new beer.

Microbiologists from Cardiff University have used brewer’s yeast found in killer honeybees in Namibia and applied it to develop craft beer.

The team became interested in the Africanised honey bee – also known as the killer bee - during a visit to University of Namibia for a joint sustainable environmental development project.

Prof Les Baillie, from Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said the yeast was extracted from killer bees that had died naturally.

“When we got back to Cardiff, we used the isolated killer bee brewers yeast, along with yeast from Welsh honey bees, to make several batches of beer,” he said.

The Pharmabees project, which has seen numerous hives placed around Cardiff University, is exploring how the pollination of certain plants could lead to the development of drugs to treat superbugs and antibiotic resistance.

The scientists say the Killer Bee Beer combines expertise to produce something unique, and are now looking for a brewer to collaborate with to bring the killer bee beer to market. The proceeds would go towards bee research in Wales.

“Our Killer Bee Beer is a fun side project to our wider Pharmabees studies,” said Prof Baillie.

“[It] also broadens the understanding of bees at a microbiological level.”