maize

Honeybee Dieoff Link to Corn Planting Process - Italy Researchers

Submitted by Kevin Hansen on February 19, 2012 - 20:09

The process of planting can release large amounts of pesticides coated on seeds - as dust. Corn/maize is widely treated with a coating laced with toxins: neonicotinoid pesticides, fungicides and a host of other substances are physically stuck to the grains of corn. This is a brittle substance that breaks off and creates a large dust problem - a toxic dust.

The team of researchers at the University of Padua, Italy, led by Andrea Tapparo has found significant mortality to honeybees as a result of this exposure. This was closely related to the spring-planting die-off blamed in Germany for a honeybee catastrophe several years ago.

This article is accepted - and will be published in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) journal "Environmental Science and Technology."

We have read a pre-print - look for this one to be downloadable soon.

Under Pressure, Monsanto withdraws GM Corn (Maize) from France

Submitted by Kevin Hansen on January 24, 2012 - 16:58

Monsanto says won't sell GMO maize in France in 2012

Under pressure, Monsanto has withdrawn its GMO corn MON810 from France, as beekeepers, activists and farmers protested and repeatedly sued - and won - in court.

This comes on the heels of Bayer, Syngenta and other manufacturers of neonicotinoid pesticides withdrawing their products for use on almonds in California. Although at first GMO and pesticides seem different, they are in fact tightly corrrelated: seeds now routinely are GMO, and are simultaneously treated with nicotine-based pesticides and fungicides. The full article is here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/24/us-gmo-france-monsanto-idUSTRE...

Major Study: Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure for Honeybees Living Near Agricultural Fields

Submitted by Kevin Hansen on January 14, 2012 - 13:13

A major new study from Purdue University researchers highlights that honeybees face a long list of pesticide dangers near agriculture. Multiple toxic agents combined, via several simultaneous routes of exposure mean bees are in peril from many sources.

The complete article is open-access from PLos ONE, attached above (thanks PLos ONE and the authors for making this important article OPEN ACCESS!!!).

Toxic food.

I'm concerned that our food would be toxic in multiple ways simultaneously.

Prosecutor Charges Bayer+Syngenta Over Honey Bee Die-Off

Submitted by Kevin Hansen on November 13, 2011 - 02:45

Three related events have recently heightened the honeybee issue:

First: Prosecutors in Italy have charged Bayer CropScience and Syngenta - both manufacturers of clothianidin - in honeybee deaths:

Download Leaked USEPA Report on Unreported Dangers of Bee-Killer Clothianidin

Submitted by Pierre Terre on January 18, 2011 - 14:31

Recently, an important USEPA internal document was leaked regarding the previously undisclosed toxicity of the nicotine pesticide clothianidin ('officially' disclosed - there have been lots of reports disclosing this problem outside of the USEPA). The report's authors suggested that:

Location: 
USEPA Headquarters Washington, DC
United States
38° 53' 42.4032" N, 77° 2' 10.9176" W
See map: Google Maps

Location

USEPA Headquarters Washington, DC
United States
38° 53' 42.4032" N, 77° 2' 10.9176" W
See map: Google Maps
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