Posted on 09/25/2018 7:42:00 AM PDT by ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas
Increased mortality of honey bee colonies has been attributed to several factors but is not fully understood. The herbicide glyphosate is expected to be innocuous to animals, including bees, because it targets an enzyme only found in plants and microorganisms. However, bees rely on a specialized gut microbiota that benefits growth and provides defense against pathogens. Most bee gut bacteria contain the enzyme targeted by glyphosate, but vary in whether they possess susceptible versions and, correspondingly, in tolerance to glyphosate. Exposing bees to glyphosate alters the bee gut community and increases susceptibility to infection by opportunistic pathogens. Understanding how glyphosate impacts bee gut symbionts and bee health will help elucidate a possible role of this chemical in colony decline.
(Excerpt) Read more at pnas.org ...
They probably have voluntary reporting by commercial beekeepers. Figured they had to do something to monitor the situation with all the hysteria of "AIIEEE! The bees are all dying and we're all going to starve to death!!"
Regardless of just how they determine the level of hives lost, it's obvious that the 27% decline in hive loss from the previous year can't be attributed to a reduction in usage of glyphosate, since usage of that herbicide actually keeps going up each year.
That’s an exceptional post .. thanks !
To be fair, I think the bigger concern for most people isn't uptake into subsequent plantings, it is the residue finding it's way into the consumed seeds of the plants it was deliberately sprayed on.
That said though, the body has the ability to clean itself of toxins, as long as they are not consumed in amounts beyond the body's capacity to handle. With the amount of toxins the general population exposes themselves to on a 24/365 basis, to point the blame for general health problems on glyphosate from foods consumed is no different than placing the entire blame for a camel's back breaking on that final straw that pushed it over the edge.
In terms of direct toxicity, that seems to be true. However, from the article I posted here:
The herbicide glyphosate is expected to be innocuous to animals, including bees, because it targets an enzyme only found in plants and microorganisms. However, bees rely on a specialized gut microbiota that benefits growth and provides defense against pathogens. Most bee gut bacteria contain the enzyme targeted by glyphosate, but vary in whether they possess susceptible versions and, correspondingly, in tolerance to glyphosate. Exposing bees to glyphosate alters the bee gut community and increases susceptibility to infection by opportunistic pathogens. Understanding how glyphosate impacts bee gut symbionts and bee health will help elucidate a possible role of this chemical in colony decline.
Note that it states that glyphosphate "has a possible role" in "colony decline," but does not conclude that that it is the main cause.
That makes sense. However, if I posted a statistics from a 1 year trend, you would rightly object that one year's statistics could be statistically dubious. Also, there could have occurred phenomena that reduced the numbers of bees' natural enemies or microbes that infect bees that year.
If the trend continues, that should cast doubt on the glyphosphate/bee death hypothesis.
Studies have concluded that glyphosphate is not directly toxic to humans. But does it affect human microbiota?
I have no idea if it has ZERO effect or not, but if you're really concerned about it, I'd be willing to bet it has less effect than what you'd get to your microbiota from the vapors or residue you ingest from the antibacterial soaps and cleaners you use.
I'd also bet the absolutely worst thing you can do to your gut bacteria is to take prescribed antibiotics. Treat your body right and you won't get sick and won't need to take antibiotics. Or, for that matter, any of the other medications that mess with your body's genetically designed systems.
Raymond Francis has a few good books if you want to dig into what it really takes to stay healthy. Maybe start with "The Great American Health Hoax", and then see if the possible effects of glyphosate maybe falls down a ways on your list of things to worry about it affecting your health.
A handful of people does not prove anything. One would expect much more than that if there were truly a problem. We don’t even know what other issues these poor people have - are they genetically wired to get cancer? How old are they? Cancer increases in incidence with increasing age. In many instances we simply do not know what causes cancer.
That and "core"... SMH
As is the hysteria over the impact on crops. 80% of all bee pollination is for California almonds, alone. The other 20% is for every other crop that needs them... and most do not need them.
Probably, eventually, but, then yould have to spray it on you.
Here come the Freepers who defend poisoning the environment. They are, I expect, at least strongly overlapping with Freepers who love to defend pit bulls and those who advocate the intentional killing of neighbors’ cats.
And the targeted weeds develop resistance. In combination the lathering on of Roundup increases with Roundup-resistant crops, which is the opposite of what they were sold to us for.
Do you drive a car, or take some sort of other transportation that uses petroleum? If so, there are some who could just as justifiably accuse you of "poisoning the environment".
The development of glyphosate, and the genetic engineering of "Roundup-Ready" varieties of crops have dramatically increased food production, and I'm not aware of any evidence that anyone has been harmed from consumption of those crops. (Or at least, from the glyphosate residues in the crops.) Plenty of tinfoil hat types will make claims about how harmful glyphosate is, since it is produced by evil corporations, but I doubt the risk is anywhere close to being as great as what there is from consuming prescribed medications.
I remember a doctor in Mexico who advised parents that kids eating dirt is healthy because it builds resistance. I would not go that far, especially with pigs roaming free.
The article I posted claims that Glyphosate may be a factor in the collapse of some bee colonies, but some bees' microbiota is resistant to the chemical than others.
Not really that difficult. 84% of corn is grown on glyphosate treated acres. 71% of soybeans. Percentage of both is probably going up each year, since it is more economical to grow using it.
So start looking at the labels of the food you eat. If the ingredients include soy, or corn, or corn oil, or corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup, you're not avoiding glyphosate residue. Also, chicken and pork and beef and dairy are produced with glyphosate treated crops.
Not a bad idea to reduce your consumption of those exotic chemicals, but even if you manage to eliminate glyphosate-produced crops from your diet, you'll still be consuming plenty of harmful compounds which have been added to your store-bought food. Or do you think those preservatives and food colorings are all benign?
Grow as much as you can of your own food. Best way to avoid all those chemicals, with the added benefit of having more nutrient-dense food. The minerals and vitamins in the food do more to keep you healthy than the calories do.
You don’t trust food co-ops that buy from local growers and claim not to use such chemicals?
I'd trust food from a food co-op, but that's a whole different issue than the safety of glyphosate treated crops. Glyphosate isn't designed for vegetable crops, to my knowledge.
One of the biggest benefits of food from a co-op as opposed to food from a store, is avoiding food treated with pesticides. Those are designed to kill stuff in the animal kingdom. Much more likely to be harmful to people than herbicides, which are designed to kill stuff in the plant kingdom.
Personally, I don't use either pesticides or herbicides on the stuff I grow because its a good idea to reduce consumption of ALL of those unnatural chemicals. Glyphosate is just one of hundreds of those chemicals that a person might be exposed to, and I doubt it's anywhere close to the worst of them.
Thanks
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