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Study: Roundup Weed Killer Could Be Linked To Widespread Bee Deaths
The controversial herbicide Roundup has been accused of causing cancer in humans and now scientists in Texas argue that the world's most popular weed killer could be partly responsible for killing off bee populations around the world.
A new study [open, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803880115] [DX] by scientists at the University of Texas at Austin posit that glyphosate — the active ingredient in the herbicide — destroys specialized gut bacteria in bees, leaving them more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria.
Researchers Nancy Moran, Erick Motta and Kasie Raymann suggest their findings are evidence that glyphosate might be contributing to colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon that has been wreaking havoc on honey bees and native bees for more than a decade.
Also at Science Magazine.
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Glyphosate Linked to Liver Damage
Extensive Study Concludes Neonicotinoid Pesticides Harm Bees
Lithium Chloride May Help in Fixing Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
European Regulator Finds That Neonicotinoid Pesticides Threaten Bees
Monsanto Faces First US Trial Over Roundup Cancer Link
Monsanto Ordered to Pay $289 Million in Glyphosate Cancer Trial
(Score: 2) by CZB on Thursday September 27 2018, @04:30AM (4 children)
I read parts of the research paper, especially the methods they used. Seems credible, not one of the bogus studies. Seems like the bottom line with this ones is: glyphosate does effect bee gut biome, making them more susceptible to disease.
But here's the song, as a farmer who uses a lot of it, there's no good alternative at the moment. I've been studying ways to reduce and eliminate my herbicide usage, and there are some things I'll be trying, but really, robots are the only hope for eliminating herbicides.
Over the next 20 years we'll be reducing herbicide usage and changing a lot of weed control methods because so many weeds are growing resistant to them. But no amount of worry or actual research will create a glyphosate ban. Its way too essential to the current global food system. Farmers with their herbicides are at the same point as gas powered cars, it would be really nice to stop using internal combustion engines, but we just can't do that yet.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday September 27 2018, @04:39AM (2 children)
What we need is a robot that can pick weeds and shoot down bugs with a laser. Adapt to that!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by kiffer on Thursday September 27 2018, @11:44AM (1 child)
You would only want to shoot down insects that are harmful to crops, so you would obviously tune the system to ignore ladybirds/ladybugs.
This will place a pressure on the pest insects to look more and more like non-pest insects.
if you set the system to kill all insects, then smaller insects will still get through the system, and you won't have any ladybirds to eat all the aphids.
(Score: 2) by CZB on Thursday September 27 2018, @04:53PM
And all the wasps are good! (Except maybe in some orchard fruit crops.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 27 2018, @10:41AM
> there's no good alternative at the moment.
Not a farmer, so this is really just out of curiosity--have you compared the cost of herbicide (product + application costs) to the loss of crop if the herbicide isn't used? Seems like the yield would change all over depending on local conditions and farming technique so testing on different fields would be necessary. For example if you are able to crop rotate that might reduce weeds? Or, if you certify organic (yes, this takes several years), your (possibly smaller yield) will sell for a higher price.