The varroa mite is the leading cause of bee colony collapse. The current solutions aren’t good enough, or the problem wouldn’t exist. In the U.S., at least 45% of commercial colonies are infected with varroa; between 2023 and 2024, 55.1% died off. Unless we want food shortages and price spikes, the world needs a biopesticide that lays waste to varroa.

Quorum Earth turns the fungi metarhizium into a biopesticide that can kill almost anything, including varroa. Metarhizium is non-toxic, safe for bees, and highly effective. However, no one has commercialized metarhizium successfully because it struggles when taken out of its natural habitat. So, Quorum’s platform naturally modifies metarhizium to kill almost any pest. The modifications are so minimal that regulators consider the altered fungi genetically identical to the original. That means approval for new products can be completed faster and cheaper than ever before.

Quorum Earth was founded by Chris Kantrowitz, a six-time gaming, software, and biotech founder, and Nicholas Naeger, PhD, an entomologist who has spent 20+ years trying to save the honeybees. Their advisors include Paul Stamets, the world’s leading mycologist, and a world-class team of Ph.D.s experienced in pesticide regulation and manufacturing. 

In 2025, Quorum will begin selling its varroa product internationally. Varroa is only the beginning—Quorum Earth is on a mission to kill as many bugs as possible without harming the planet.