Antibiotic resistance occurs when microbes develop mechanisms that protect them from the effects of these antibiotics, which is described as one of the greatest threats to global health today.

More than 1.2 million people worldwide died in 2019 as a result of bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics, according to the medical journal "The Lancet".

The increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics threatens a return to the "pre-antibiotic era," posing a major threat to global health and security.

As antibiotic-resistant infections continue to spread and the associated concerns increase, scientists are working to discover alternatives to antimicrobial drugs, and honey may be an ideal target to achieve this.

Scientists are studying the natural therapeutic properties of honey as it contains antimicrobial compounds. It has been used for centuries as a natural remedy to combat various types of diseases and treat wounds.

The challenge lies in finding these compounds and isolating them so that they can lead to new treatments to address health problems.

In an interview with the "BBC" network, Professor Les Bailey from the School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University said that the university's research on honey is an attempt to return to traditional remedies "to see if we can learn from our ancestors".

Scientists at Cardiff are looking forward to finding out if honey has a role to play.

According to Cardiff University: "Honey has therapeutic properties resulting from a combination of factors, including high sugar content, low acidity, hydrogen peroxide, and peptides derived from bees. Honey also contains plant chemicals that are antimicrobial and represent a rich source of evidence for drug development to treat microbial infections."

Scientists at Cardiff University are trying to find and isolate antimicrobial compounds by using honey "as a tool for drug discovery," by determining if bees forage plants that contain antibiotics. Once the plant is found, they can then look into its compounds.

Dr. Jennifer Hawkins said: "Our plan was to employ bees as private investigators and send them out to visit every flowering plant in the country. During each visit, these investigators collect forensic material in the form of nectar containing plant chemicals, some of which may be antibacterial, and pollen that carries the DNA fingerprint of the plant."

Currently, scientists are closely studying dandelions because they contain compounds that "kill bacteria and viruses," according to Professor Bailey.

He added: "We need to do something innovative, otherwise we face a scenario of returning to the pre-antibiotic era."