As harmless as sometimes is assumed to glyphosate, for insects, is apparently but a new study shows. The herbicide could have die, therefore, even complicity on the bees.
Glyphosate is controversial, because there is a suspicion that it is cancer. A new study from the U.S. now throws a spotlight on a very different possible side-effect of the herbicide, which has not been so subject of debate. Researchers at the University of Texas have been studying how glyphosate affects on bees. You have come to the conclusion that the herbicide is for the bees is dangerous. Their study is published in the science magazine “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS).
For their study, the scientists had fed on honey bees with a sugar solution of glyphosate was beigeisetzt – in a concentration, which is found in the environment. A bee-a control group got only the sugar, without the herbicide. In order to identify the insects later in the floor and to the right to the left, painted the researchers, the bees, the different colored dots on the back.
Researchers at the University of Texas have shown that glyphosate for bees is dangerous
Three days later, the test bees have been collected and examined. It showed that the honey bees had gotten to the glyphosate Cocktail, had some of their beneficial bacteria in the gut lost. So the conclusion the researchers concluded that glyphosate may weaken due to changes in the intestinal Multiple of a bee, the immune system of the animals. And this, according to the scientists, is a proof that glyphosate may contribute to the decline of honey bees around the world.
Popular Plants Poison
Glyphosate-containing weed killer, for example, Roundup by Monsanto, and are known as herbicides Broadband. They are for almost all types of plants toxic. Glyphosate is with 700,000 tons of the world’s most used medium. For over 40 years.
Glyphosate is used on approximately 40 percent of German farmland
Alone in Germany annually about 5000 tons of glyphosate are sprayed on tracks in private gardens, in city parks and at railway. The largest share of the consumption, however, agriculture has – at around 40 per cent of German farmland glyphosate is sprayed.
Hazardous to health, Yes or no?
Whether and in which concentrations of the herbicide, which was developed in the 1950’s by the US agriculture group Monsanto, is harmful to the health, argue opponents and supporters with a passion. Currently, hundreds of run of the court, in which plaintiffs say that the contact with the weed killer has caused cancer.
Numerous studies have investigated whether the pesticide is classified as a carcinogenic, or mutagenic – a substance, genetic or reproductive effects. So far, however, there was still no final result.
While the cancer Agency of the world health organization (WHO) says that there is evidence that glyphosate is “likely to be carcinogenic”, are other Bodies – including the German and European health authorities do not agree.
The European Parliament calls for a ban of the herbicide to 2022. By the end of 2017, the EU Commission recommended to extend the license for another five years. In the year 2022, it could come to a new decision.
The widespread use of glyphosate in the EU led to numerous protests
Threat to the biodiversity and the animals
Less controversial than the question of whether glyphosate causes cancer or not, the impact of the herbicide on the environment.
The Federal environment Ministry is concerned that the all-round pesticide plant kills indiscriminately – even those that are for a lot of animals important for survival. Monotonous arable land without insects or birds, warn environmentalists.
The European chemicals Agency ECHA has classified glyphosate recently as non-carcinogenic, but retained the classification as a substance, “the serious eye damage caused to aquatic life with long lasting effects-toxic”.
Read more: What helps the bees really?
Bees are dying could worsen
The news that the weed killer bees could also be directly harmful, is especially disturbing, considering that the populations of domestic and wild bees have declined in many Parts of the world anyway. In China Apple and pear trees need to be pollinated by Hand because there were enough bees that did the Job.
Probably a combination of factors is responsible for the decline: pests such as the varroa mite, a lack of food supply for the insects, influences by chemical plant protection means, and changing climate conditions.
Another piece of the Puzzle
The new study, however, combines directly the use of glyphosate with the decline of bees. Because in a follow-up experiment, the researchers also found that bees with glyphosate impaired intestinal Microbiome to die much more frequently when they were exposed to a certain pathogen, the bacterium Serratia marcescens,.
For their study, the researchers marked bees back to the honey. The different colors stand for different glyphosate volumes, which were exposed to the insects.
About half of the bees with a healthy Microbiome were for eight days, after they had been exposed to the pathogen, is still alive. But only about one-tenth of the bees, the micro-change biomes by glyphosate, survived.
Therefore, the researchers recommend that to avoid the Spraying of glyphosate on flowering plants, thoroughly, in order not to endanger the bees.
Read more: robot instead of glyphosate
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Delicious, Glyphosate!Ice cream
In investigations of samples in France and the UK glyphosate has emerged in this ice cream, however, a fair Eco-Image, – and in a quantity which could pose a health risk, they say. The substance had crept in over the milk, or contained cookie pieces.
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Delicious, Glyphosate!Cereals
Speaking of the biscuits are grown: If in fields where wheat, barley, rye, glyphosate comes to weed, then it is also detectable and lands, theoretically, in the bread and rolls, cakes and everything else you can bake …
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Delicious, Glyphosate!Cornflakes
And also, Cornflakes are made of – Yes, exactly – a product of the plaice. Consequently, here already glyphosate has been proven. The burden had reached alarming values, it was the last year of food-activists. The ways in which the resources in the production process in the goods, are not entirely clear, however.
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Delicious, Glyphosate!Water
Clear it is here: glyphosate is in the water. In The Water? Yes!. When the weed killer comes in the cultivation of the field, then it also seeps into the ground water, rivers or lakes. And is not only solid food but also in drinks …
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Delicious, Glyphosate!Beer
… in the ever-popular leisure drink beer. In low dosage, showed several studies. Certainly the most dangerous is the beer is still alcohol, but still. Residues are as undetectable as previously in the grain, and that’s how the water in the beer.
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Delicious, Glyphosate!Honey
And who says at the end of this list, to remove honey is to the, hopefully, glyphosate-free bread from organic grain, be sure that can also have bad luck. Because flowers that can be driven by bees and possibly on glyphosate-sprayed fields, are Carriers and ensure that the Sweetness is at the end of bitter.