Kyoto Sangyo University opened a brand-new research facility this week, the Honeybee Industry Research Center, to study the ecology of the little bumblers and the benefits of their honey. This kind of specialized facility is extremely rare and is generating a lot of buzz among entomologists.

Using the rooftops of campus buildings, the research facility has set up hives and other necessary equipment to breed around a million bees. Professors specializing in immunology and applied entomology are expected to make use of the facility in their research.

Among the stated goals for the facility is the creation of a stable supply of the much-in-demand Japanese honey, the development of bees which are resistant to disease and highly fertile, and the creation of a bee that won’t sting people. In addition, they will be looking into the effects of honey on the immune response and its potential as a natural health supplement.

According to the new head of the facility, life sciences professor Tetsuro Nomura, “We would like to bring the results of our research and the knowledge gained about beekeeping to the world. And if we could create an original brand of honey from Kyoto Sangyo University, that would be great.”

Source: MSN
Photo:flickr(Brandon)