Glyphosate - related to bee decline

   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #1  

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This is a research report that studied bee decline. Quick summary: glyphosate seems to reduce the gut bacteria that bees need to stay healthy.
Bee death: Scientists Warn Common Weed Killer Glyphosate Is Killing Honey Bees

===quote
"While bees with healthy microbiomes could fight off Serratia marcescens, a common pathogen which infects bees, those with depleted good bacteria were at greater risk of dying when they came in contact, the researchers found. Half of the healthy bees survived after exposure to the pathogen, compared with a tenth of bees given glyphosate. "


Related article - measurable amounts of glyphosate found in Cheerios and Quaker Oats products. Whether this is harmful is disputed.
What Is Glyphosate? Weed Killing Chemical Found In Children’s Breakfast Foods
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #2  
I remember hearing a story on a news radio station recently about how common household cleaning products may be disrupting the gut bacteria in children, and may be a factor in childhood obesity.

No idea how solid the science is, but the theory seems viable.
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #3  
There is no free lunch, right? I use a limited amount of Round-Up on some particular non-natives around our place, I could (and should) quit doing that but some weed species are darn tough to control mechanically. Guess I'll re-evaluate my approach.
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #4  
Round-up has been the greatest thing since sliced bread! Even better now that they have figured out how to modify some crops to be resistant to it.
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #5  
Round-up has been the greatest thing since sliced bread! Even better now that they have figured out how to modify some crops to be resistant to it.

What's wrong with this picture...
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #6  
What's wrong with this picture...

Two different points of view. I use as few chemicals as possible, with one exception the strongest I've used on my property is Spinosad. Yet who's to say if I'm right?
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #7  
Two different points of view. I use as few chemicals as possible, with one exception the strongest I've used on my property is Spinosad. Yet who's to say if I'm right?
Even though the product(s) have been around a long time there is still not enough information (health issue data etc.) to determine at what levels the product(s) are safe...
...Developing (and producing) food crops that are tolerable to a possibly harmful chemical is premature at best and just plain stupid at worst...
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #8  
This is another piece of evidence showing that wide scale spraying of things like fence lines with it could be very harmful. It's already harmful in killing insect hiding places, and this has been instrumental in reducing greatly the bird population because we're eliminating their feeding spots.

You have to be very careful in use of this stuff. It's great stuff if we're wise in using it. I do not agree with genetic modification to allow the widespread spraying of this on soybeans and corn. Consumption of products from these crops, which contain some glysphosate, has been linked to gut disease such as ciliac. Of course, the recent court case linked it to cancer. Not sure about the science behind this. I can believe the ciliac link.

Ralph
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #9  
In 5 years or so we'll have to revisit all these glyphosate threads..... IMO the writing is clearly on the wall here.

There's a certain mindset that seems to almost *rejoice* in using the nastiest, most toxic chemicals possible. When the research finally becomes overwhelming that a certain pesticide is in fact highly carcinogenic, they will actually *stock up* on it while they can still get it. Yes, I have friends who did that.

I have had a varied life, among a great variety of folks, and have read widely to try to understand the world around me. But this to me is almost inexplicable.

Deep-seated distrust of science?

The need to be able to *do whatever you want* even if it harms you?

After a lifetime of careless exposure to chemicals, maybe this type of research is just too disturbing?

?????
 
   / Glyphosate - related to bee decline #10  
Even though the product(s) have been around a long time there is still not enough information (health issue data etc.) to determine at what levels the product(s) are safe...
...Developing (and producing) food crops that are tolerable to a possibly harmful chemical is premature at best and just plain stupid at worst...
I agree, and consider GMOs to be a major threat to our food supply worldwide.
 

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