Greetings
I attended a workshop last summer at Penn State on the progress of using RNA interference in studying the honey bee genome and the effects of various gene knockdowns. Monsanto is certainly not the only company working on these techniques, researchers all over the world are interested in how the genome controls all the different functions, including immunity, behavior and caste differentiation.

However, there is one significant problem with developing genetically modified bees which I would like to describe. I know about this chiefly because I work with genetically modified organisms myself. These animals are not permitted out of an environmentally closed facility. All GMOs have to be thoroughly tested and approved before they are ever released. The problem with honey bees is that they cannot really be raised inside buildings in any meaningful way. 

So, you have a Catch 22 here. You can't release GM honey bees without testing them and you can't test them without using real colonies - out of doors. I talked with several people about the feasibility of maintaining indoor colonies using various techniques but it rapidly became clear that it probably wouldn't work, and you couldn't study the things that are of most interest, like foraging, various behaviors, etc. 

On the other hand, RNA interference is unlikely to cause any lasting genetic changes (we think, there may be instances where it can) and so gene effects can be temporarily up or down regulated in this way. RNA interference therefore presents a promising avenue for pest control. If, say, you can introduce RNA (small synthetic molecules) into syrup that will interfere with, say, varroa reproduction, you have a control message with no side effects for bees, people, or other insects

Further, if the immune system could be enhance by up-regulating responses using RNA interference on the honey bee, this could have benefit, without actually altering the genetic makeup of the honey bee genome. This may sound like Sci-Fi, but we are rapidly heading toward the use of RNA interference as a pest control measure. This could have the additional side benefit of replacing insecticides, making the environment SAFER for pollinators and people.

Stay tuned

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