As the world population of honey bees continues to decline at a dangerous rate, a new study suggests that mushrooms could have a powerful effect on bees by helping them combat the viruses that have been killing their colonies.

According to the results of a recent study, which was titled "Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduces Viruses in Honey Bees," researchers were looking for a way to combat the highly infectious viruses that were wiping out global honey bee populations, and they started looking at mushrooms when they noticed bees were seeking out the fungus:

The study found that extracts from amadou and reishi fungi reduced the levels of honey bee Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) and Lake Sinai Virus (LSV) with colonies that were fed Ganoderma resinaceum extract showing "a 79-fold reduction in DWV and a 45,000-fold reduction in LSV compared to control colonies," which brought researchers to the conclusion that "honey bees may gain health benefits from fungi and their antimicrobial compounds."