Question
What about the depletion of the bee population. Also glyphosate in round up is not healthly.
Submitted by: jmalomo
Answer
Expert response from Chris Sansone
Global Regulatory Affairs Manager – Insect Resistance Management (Americas), BASF
Friday, 29/05/2015 15:52
Thank you for your question. Doing a simple Internet search for the number of bee colonies leads to many results. One common result of a search is that honeybee colony numbers have declined since their peak, in the 1940s, until now. Honeybee colony numbers peaked during the 1940s for a number of reasons. One important reason was to support the war effort. Sugar was rationed and honey served as an alternative sweetener. Possibly more important, a high percentage of the U.S. population lived in the country, where maintaining a bee colony was easier. As the population moved to the city and suburbs, keeping bee colonies was not as convenient or important.
Using more current and reliable data shows that honeybee numbers have stabilized in the United States and are increasing in Canada and Europe: Click to Tweet
- http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1191
- http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26?lang=eng&retrLang=eng&id=0010007&paSer=&pattern=&stByVal=1&p1=1&p2=31&tabMode=dataTable&csid=
- http://faostat3.fao.org/faostat-gateway/go/to/search/beehives/E
So while a number of factors play a role in bee numbers, beekeepers have done a remarkable job stabilizing the numbers and even growing populations. People outside of beekeeping can also be part of the solution, by providing food resources for bees. See http://feedabee.com for more information on honeybees and methods to help. Click to Tweet
I have answered a similar question about bees on the GMO Answers website at:
Regarding your statement on glyphosate, independent and company experts have provided several responses to specific questions on the safety of glyphosate:
- Is the amount of glyphosate used on crops safe for human consumption, particularly human gut flora? Answered by Dr. Kevin Folta, University of Florida
- How can eating a crop sprayed with Roundup be healthy for human consumption? Answered by Dr. Rashmi Nair, Monsanto Company
- There does not appear to be more than anecdotal evidence available to prove glyphosate safety. How do I know a GMO is safe to eat in this case? Answered by Steve Savage, Savage & Associates
- Have studies been performed to provide safety data on the surfactants and inert ingredients used in Roundup? Answered by Jim Gaffney, DuPont Pioneer
If this information does not address your concern, please feel free to ask another specific question
How Do GMOs Benefit The Environment?