A study has shown that the active ingredient in Monsantoâs Roundup is harmful to honey bees guts. Roundup contains glyphosate, which decreases microorganisms in honey bee guts, leaving them extremely vulnerable. Honey bees exposed to levels of glyphosate commonly found in the environment had decreased amounts of microbiota in theirgutâwhich leaves them prone to early death, according to a study released today. These âmicrobiotaâ regulate the beesâ metabolism, weight gain, and the immune system. These new findings go against previous claims that glyphosate does not harm wildlife, and maybe a possible clue as to why honey bee colonies are dying at an increased rate. âGut microbiota is involved in nutrition for bees, helping break down components of cell walls in pollen grains and protecting against different pathogens,â Nancy Moran, senior author of the study and evolutionary biologist at the University of Texas, said in an interview with EHN. For the study, which was published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers collected hundreds of honey bees from one hive and exposed some of them to levels of glyphosate found in the environment, and then returned them to the hive. After only three days, the total gut bacteria already decreased in the treated bees. When treated bees were exposed to a harmful pathogen, they were more likely to die than their untreated counterparts. Harmful To Honey Bees
It had been thought that glyphosate was harmless to bees because it targets an enzyme only found in plants and microorganisms, however, the bacteria in a bees gut does contain that same enzyme. âItâs true the bee itself has no molecular targets from glyphosate but its gut bacteria do have targets,â she said. âItâs similar to humans taking antibiotics where there can be trouble if you upset the normal microbiota.â The value of insect pollination to U.S. farming is about $16 billion a year, and honey bee colonies â and pollinators in general â are in trouble. Making this study very concerning. Other research, from China and published in July, showed that honeybee larvae grew more slowly and died more often when exposed to glyphosate. An earlier study, in 2015, showed the exposure of adult bees to the herbicide at levels found in fields âimpairs the cognitive capacities needed for a successful return to the hiveâ. When asked to comment on the study, a spokesman for Monsanto said: âClaims thatglyphosate has a negative impact on honey bees are simply not true. No large-scale study has found any link between glyphosate and the decline of the honeybee population. More than 40 years of robust, independent scientific evidence shows that it poses no unreasonable risk for humans, animal, and the environment generally.â People are known to widely consume glyphosate residues in food â like childrenâs breakfast cereal â but the impact on health is controversial. In August a US court ordered Monsanto to pay $289m in damages after a jury ruled that the weedkiller caused a terminally ill manâs cancer. The company filed papers to dismiss the case on 19 September. Weight in with your opinion in the comments, do you think the weed killer is harmful to honey bees? The post Monsantoâs Roundup Weed Killer Harmful to Honey Bees appeared first on Raise Vegan. Via https://raisevegan.com/monsantos-roundup-weed-killer-harmful-to-honey-bees/
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April 2019
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