The world’s most used weedkiller damages the beneficial bacteria in the guts of honeybees and makes them more prone to deadly infections, new research has found.
Previous studies have shown that pesticides such as neonicotinoids cause harm to bees, whose pollination is vital to about three-quarters of all food crops. Glyphosate, manufactured by Monsanto, targets an enzyme only found in plants and bacteria.
However, the new study shows that glyphosate damages the microbiota that honeybees need to grow and to fight off pathogens. The findings show glyphosate, the most used agricultural chemical ever, may be contributing to the global decline in bees, along with the loss of habitat.
“We demonstrated that the abundances of dominant gut microbiota species are decreased in bees exposed to glyphosate at concentrations documented in the environment,” said Erick Motta and colleagues from University of Texas at Austin in their new paper. They found that young worker bees exposed to glyphosate exposure died more often when later exposed to a common bacterium.
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 “impairs the cognitive capacities needed for a successful return to the hive”.
“The biggest impact of glyphosate on bees is the destruction of the wildflowers on which they depend,” said Matt Sharlow, at conservation group Buglife. “Evidence to date suggests direct toxicity to bees is fairly low, however the new study clearly demonstrates that pesticide use can have significant unintended consequences.”
Prof Dave Goulson, at the University of Sussex, said: “It now seems that we have to add glyphosate to the list of problems that bees face. This study is also further evidence that the landscape-scale application of large quantities of pesticides has negative consequences that are often hard to predict.”
However, Oliver Jones, a chemist at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said: “To my mind the doses of glyphosate used were rather high. The paper shows only that glyphosate can potentially interfere with the bacteria in the bee gut, not that it actually does so in the environment.”
A spokesman for Monsanto said: “Claims that glyphosate 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.”
The new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that some of the key beneficial bacteria in bees’ guts have the enzyme that is targeted by glyphosate. It also found that the ability of newly emerged worker bees to develop a normal gut biome was hampered by glyphosate exposure.
Harm to gut bacteria by glyphosate exposure has also been shown in a pilot study in rats. “Gut bacteria play a vital role in maintaining good health, in organisms as diverse as bees and humans,” said Goulson. “The finding that these bacteria are sensitive to the most widely used pesticide in the world is thus concerning.”
People are known to widely consume glyphosate residues in food – such as children’s breakfast cereal – but the health impact 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 man’s cancer. The company filed papers to dismiss the case on 19 September.
The weedkiller, sold as Roundup, won a shortened five-year lease in the EU in 2017. In 2015, the World Health Organisation’s cancer agency, the IARC, declared glyphosate “probably carcinogenic to humans,” although several international agencies subsequently came to opposite conclusions. Monsanto insists glyphosate is safe.
Davy on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 7:00 am
“Glyphosate – the most used pesticide ever”
Wow, that was a screw up. Glyphosate is not a pesticide it is a herbicide. This article is a joke and fake news. Roundup is better than many other alternative but that is not talked about because fake greens want the buzz of anti-corporate shit. I am fine with using no industrial agriculture but if that is what your dumbass fake green wants then you better get to some serious prepping. Modernism will not survive the end of industrial agriculture. Its destructive aspects can only be reduced by permaculture efforts that few will embrace because these efforts are hard, uncomfortable, and lacks the techno sparkle.
I am doing honey bees and the biggest threats to mine are Vero mites, small hive beetles, and wax moths. The destruction of the natural plant environment is a great contributor. Industrial agriculture and its monocultures with the pesticides and herbicides have rendered the land sterile to wild pollinators. OOPs, industrial agriculture feeds us and the alternative is not going to feed us in our present arrangement. The monarch butterflies and pollinators are all over my farm and you know why, because I leave natural areas full of weeds, brush, and natural growth. I leave a significant amount of stuff other farmers would wack down and spray down. I can do this but a struggling family farm cannot afford to do this like I can.
“Monsanto insists glyphosate is safe.” It is not safe and nor is modern life so let’s get our perspective and lets quit playing games. If you really want to get away from this you dramatically lower populations. You move people back to the land in low emission permaculture arrangements. You stop consumerism and techno fantasies. OOPs, it is easier for a fake green lunatic to whine and complain about a chemical and a company than to admit his life is part of the problem. Modern hypocrisy at its finest.
joe on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 7:22 am
Davy, the truly interesting part is that Monsantos roundup patents ran out in 2000. Now every store has its own brand effective weedkiller. With profits falling, I have no doubt that the real fake news is that Monsanto wants to discredit glyphosate in favour of some new shit they want to push.
Davy on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 7:47 am
Another interesting part is Monsanto is now owned by Bayer so the problem is now a European one. Maybe the Europeans will put their money where their mouth is and shut them down.
Cloggie on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:03 am
I already considered the Bayer take-over of Monsanto a very bad move at the moment it happened. The company is toxic, in the most literally sense of the word. But so is Bayer and their pharma junk.
Germans and PR.
/rolleyes
Anontarded1 on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:34 am
supertard (pbuh, swt) the author seems to emphasize insecticide to drive home the point that it kills bees.
Cloggie on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:41 am
Poststamp country Holland is the second agricultural exporter in the world. Reason: application of greenhouses where you can grow and harvest throughout the year.
An additional advantage is that you need far less chemical weedkillers, if you need them at all, since the environment is largely controlled and confined. Natural killers like wasps can and are used to fight harmfull insects.
In a greenhouse you can apply robots to do the harvesting:
https://youtu.be/EiQG4zhMHLM
And, very important, with greenhouses you no longer need large quantities of water, so you can set them up in the desert:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180822-this-jordan-greenhouse-uses-solar-power-to-grow-crops
Additionally, you can set them up near densely populated areas and save on transportation and cooling effort: pick and eat.
Davy on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:44 am
His tardness so what? It is not a pesticide. If it kills like one fine mention that but whoever authored this is a dumbass. It should be clear to anyone that knows these chemicals they are bad for everything.
I AM THE MOB on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:45 am
CLogg and Davy angry incel nut jobs of a feather!
OMG they are killing the honey bee’s…
GMO HELL NO!
George Straight on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:50 am
All the Bees need to do is hire an army of lobbyists, PR firms, and lawyers to represent their rights…now that’s what I call democracy!
Davy on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:55 am
I am a Buffon, do you know about bees. I bet you know about bees like your phony PHD that landed you some low life ATT job. Lol
George Straight on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 9:14 am
Davy, I myself kept bees….let me tell you, no way would I do so again….Had folks I know try in Charlotte NC and die off of hives, repeatedly….something is wrong.
We need not worry about peak oil and the financial system failing….
We are already past the point of redemption.
Sissyfuss on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 9:28 am
Davy, I am happy to hear that you have Monarchs visiting your property but here in the Mitten whereas I would have them in abundance 15 years ago now I average sighting one per season. And the same for honeybees and bumblebees. They talk of a 75% fall in the number of insects in some European countries. And Monsatan has developed crops that need to be drenched in so much glyphosate that the children are consuming it in their breakfast cereal. The lust for short term profit is rendering our world uninhabitable. A sea change is needed but unwanted.
Davy on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 9:40 am
Siss, not sure why but they are all over. There are lots of pollinators too. We have 10 hives here. I let the local bee guru put 8 hives here and in return he helps the wife with the more sophisticated bee care with our two hives. My operation proves you can live with natural areas and domesticated areas. If I wanted to make a profit I would need to trebble my stocking rate and make hay. That would be at the expense of the critters. I don’t need to make a profit. I cover costs and that is fine for my lifestyle. I rarely use chemicals anymore. I hate roundup but in certain circumstances it is very effective just as broadleaf herbicides are. It makes me cringe when I see homeowners use the stuff especially with kids around.
Davy on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 9:43 am
George, when we first started we had bad luck. We now have help from the local bee community. These are dedicated people that make this effort a way of life. It is working but we are in an area where there is little herbicides sprayed. Urbanization is low.
deadly on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 10:46 am
Monsanto began in Iowa, its roots are there.
What do honey bees need most of all?
I see Roundup sprayed everywhere I go. All chemical applications to control either insects, insecticides, or weeds, herbicides, are also known as pesticides, noxious plants are pests. Hence, Roundup is a pesticide for pesky pests like weeds.
There are bees buzzing by the thousands about a hundred yards from me.
There is also a creek, it has water. If honey bees don’t have water, their numbers will dwindle to half in no time. Water is the number one limiting factor. If it is not there for those honey bees, you won’t have honey. Bee keepers know bees need water like cows need water, water is crucial to the survival of a bee colony.
Nicotine is the one of the most deadly toxic substances known to man. One or two drops of pure nicotine on the tongue will kill you dead. Also the most used substance by humans, hands down.
Nicotinic acid is used in the pesticide industry.
You coat neonicotinoids on the seed itself, used extensively in the greenhouse industry. Most flower seeds are coated with neonicotinoids, corn, soybeans, and canola as well.
Publisher Summary
The application of natural insecticides, primarily of plant origin, for plant protection and hygiene, preceded by a long time that of synthetic insecticides. Nicotine, anabasine, pyrethrins, rotenone, and quassia are used as inorganic insecticides, and their application virtually ceased on the discovery and large-scale economic production of synthetic insecticides. Various Nicotiana species, particularly, N. rustica, N. tabacum, N. sylvestris, and N. glauca, contains different Nicotiana alkaloids in various proportions. The most important of these alkaloids are nicotine, nornicotine, and anabasine. Nicotine is converted by oxidation with chromic acid or permanganate into nicotinic acid and by quaternization, methylation, and subsequent oxidation into N-methylpyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid. Nicotine and anabasine are applied mostly in the form of their water-soluble sulfates in order to kill various insects and mites. Nicotine is also a strong poison for warm-blooded animals and its acute oral LD50 value is 50–91 mg/kg for rats. Its volatility and rapid decomposition partly counterbalance the hazard caused by its toxicity.
Chrome Mags on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 10:52 am
Nearly every thread on this website turns into a name calling fest the further down the thread it goes. Name calling doesn’t achieve anything. I wish there was a moderator that would delete every post that lowers itself to that level.
Anontarded1 on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 11:19 am
chrome we’ve been here before. mr. simon appealed for civility and no one except I responded with temporary retirement. sueprtard (swt, pbuh) also back off attacks but simon did nothing to maintain civil discourse. basically libtards are attackign each other and i’m a libtard too. they are all atheists – meaning they cover for islam by calling 1400 years of jihad an issue with “religion”. this is dhimmitude in action.
just yesterday mother jones said “religion” made life in minaraw miserable or something like that. i’m sure if they write another they’d say religion made syria and iraq bad too. least they could say is “Religion” but they’re part of the circuit and they attck supremetard (pbuh, swt) when they’re not talking about modern killings by “religion” which has thousands of terrorist organizations past and present
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_designated_terrorist_groups
green_achers on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 2:17 pm
For the record, herbicides are a class of pesticide. Anyone who thinks that is an argument against the article is a fool.
DMyers on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:00 pm
Glyphosate is an antibiotic. It is no doubt doing to bees exactly what the study describes.
Please note, the same thing is happening to humans who consume glyphosate in their mass-produced diet. The destruction of good bacteria in the gut is a recipe for destruction of the immune system. In other words, it is a direct path to disease. This was recognized by the Chinese thousands of years ago.
This poison is harder to escape than you may think. And just because it hasn’t killed you yet, that does not mean it never will. A friend of mine, who has studied this extensively, claims that we will see the health effects of glyphosate crescendo through the US population in about five years. No one paid him to reach that conclusion. He is an independent researcher.
To those who would say I am fear mongering or making mountains out of mole hills, I defer to the facts, proofs and conclusions regarding glyphosate that led to a 289M dollar verdict for the plaintiff in a recent lawsuit.
Anontarded1 on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:15 pm
dmyers the tard, let’s think through this logically. food is digested and nutrients absorbed. you claiming that the “good” bacteria is somehow good for the immune system but others claim it’s for digestion. so you’re saying these bacteria exists before the small intestine and even in it? these bacteria work for free breaking down food or are they energy vampires? some believe the candida albican robs you of nutrients.
i think the existence of bacteria may cause the body to develop response to it but i don’t think the body forgets it easily or it needs massive quanity of bacteria to develop immunity.
what the stupid bacteria does is to consume undigested food and cause severe discomfort or food poisoning.
so if you have proper digestion, i do not think we need the stupid bacteria. the whole science of beneficial bacteria comes from permacultism (much like earthworms making soil eration)
DMyers on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:42 pm
Anontarded has noted the following: “what the stupid bacteria does is to consume undigested food and cause severe discomfort or food poisoning.” Assume the bacteria were not there to consume undigested food. What happens to that food?
It sits in your stomach and rots, just as it would do if you chewed it up, spit it into a bowl and left it on the back porch for a day or two. That’s what’s happening in your own stomach, Anon, and it’s not helping your retardation problem.
Permacultism? Never gave it a thought.
boney joe on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 8:57 pm
DMyers,
Your analysis of bacteria is correct. Example, German veterinarians have employed the long-established veterinary practice of transferring microbial material from healthy to sick ruminants via fecal material transplantation with such success that the same technique is being used on people.
Free Speech Forum on Tue, 25th Sep 2018 11:51 pm
Americans scream that people should be moral and obey the law, but then they shrug when told that Trump broke the law when he cheated on his wife by illegally using a prostitute.
WTF?
Go Speed Racer on Wed, 26th Sep 2018 2:17 am
An obvious solution is to purchase Organic food products.
They have to substitute labor, such as weeding, in place of things like Roundup.
I buy mostly organic. Except for the
potato chips and beer for the
monthly backyard couch & tire fire.
dave thompson on Wed, 26th Sep 2018 5:42 am
Industrial AG only cares about three things profit,profit and profit. If using chemical inputs increases the bottom line guess what? Profit, with ocean and water way dead zones. Profit, with decline in all insect populations. Profit, with dead soils eroding away. Internalizing profit, externalizing costs whats not to love about capitalism?
bryan hurt on Thu, 27th Sep 2018 6:52 am
The problem is feeding an over populated planet of billions. Who volunteers to reduce the population by 1? that is a start to not needing Roundup to feed us all and the only real solution to a “green only” planet that satisfies all the “green” supporters who hate technology of any kind from oil and natural gas to push their cars and heat their cozy homes to the herbicides making it possible for them to remain overweight 50 pounds by their over consumption of cheap and plentiful food, meanwhile while they of course oppose modern agricultural. I say take lard covered bodies and deny them their daily dozen donuts and you will hear them screaming spray! spray! Spray! But don’t take our far behind loving donuts away!!!!
bryan hurt on Thu, 27th Sep 2018 6:55 am
Solution = stop eating you could use the weight loss and the planet would not spin with a wobble with the fat people skinny due to the rotation wobble from all the fat people in USA causing a global weight distribution imbalance on a planetary gravitational scale.