Chris Sansone

Q: Why is it that you are denying the fact that your GMO's not only are the cause of Autistm but they are DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KILLING OFF OF OUR BEES!

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 17, 2014

A: Bee health is an important issue for everyone, and the research-based learning network site eXtensionprovides an excellent summary of the issue. Major concerns include the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, bee viruses, bacterial disease, nutrition, gut microbes, hive management practices and pesticide exposure. Genetically modified (GM) plants and their impact on honey bees have been widely studied, and the results indicate that GM plants are not harmful to bees. A 2001 review by Malone and Pham-Delègue looked at seven studies and concluded that “Bt transgene product [...]

Q: Hearing about bee colonies dropping dead and the loss of natures natural pollinaters at astonishing amounts is disturbing. Do you know if GM crops and there un-natural characteristics are influencing this? Are GM crops killing bees? Or the high amounts of

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 17, 2014

A: Numerous factors can negatively impact honey bee health. Major concerns include the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, bee viruses, bacterial disease, nutrition, gut microbes, hive management practices and pesticide exposure. Read more on the state of honey bee health in this report issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Bee health is accepted by the scientific community as a complex issue with no single factor responsible for the decline of the bee population. This is also the opinion of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which stated in 2012 tha [...]

Q: What about all the mass amounts of bees that are dying now. What is the story on this? Monsantos pesticides are being blamed for this. They've apparently increased the strength on some of these pesticides.

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 25, 2014

A: Without modern crop protection practices, nearly 50 percent of the harvest would be lost to insects, diseases, weeds and fungus (Oerke, 2006). The end result would be that more land would be required to feed a growing population. Producers use different strategies to provide an adequate food supply, including the use of pesticides when necessary. Producers are also very conscious of the environment and take steps to reduce the impact of their farming practices. For example, modern seed treatments actually reduce the amount of insecticide in the environment. Spraying a field with an insecticid [...]

Q: GMOs have any relation to what is happening whit the bees?

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 17, 2014

A: Genetically modified (GM) plants and their impact on honey bees have been widely studied, and the results indicate that GM plants are not harmful to bees. A review by Malone and Pham-Delègue (2001) looked at seven studies. Their conclusion was that “Bt transgene products are very likely to be safe for honey bees and bumblebees.” One large study, by Duan et al. (2008), looked at 25 different studies and concluded that “the Bt Cry proteins used in genetically modified crops for control of caterpillar and beetle pests do not negatively affect the survival of honey bee larvae or adu [...]

Q: Are there any legitimate studies indicating that bees are being affected by Bt crops?

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 23, 2014

A: Thank you for your question. First, the insecticidal protein the crop produces is very specific to particular insect orders. For example, the Bt protein Cry1Ab affects only specific caterpillar (the order Lepidoptera) pests, while the Bt protein Cry3Bb1 affects only specific beetle (the order Coleoptera) pests. This specificity is one of the reasons Bt is such a popular insecticide in both GM crops and non-GM crops, including organic agriculture. Thus, the Bt proteins currently being used in crops do not affect bees (the order Hymenoptera).   For more information on Bt specificity, [...]

Q: I see one of the greatest dangers in GMO crops that have been modified to accent a specific trait but that have a trade off of another trait that was critical to a not considered segment of the economy. Is it not so that GMO canola no longer produces any

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 17, 2014

A: This question includes an interesting observation and is one that every country that grows GM crops asks. Regulating agencies are very interested in making sure GM crops are compositionally the same as non-GM and that the gene does not negatively affect the plant. As you point out, honey production is an important aspect of canola production, and thus companies make sure that the plants used to develop GM varieties will still produce nectar. Canada is the second-largest grower of canola (the European Union is first), and 90 percent of the Canadian crop is GM. Dr. Medhat Nasr, Alberta provinci [...]

Q: Are GMOs causing the collapse of the honeybee colonies?

Answered By Chris Sansone - Apr 17, 2014

A: Please refer to this response. [...]

Q: Has there been any cases where gmo crops have harmed bees or other wildlife where non gmo crops have not? Also are there any studies on the affects of gmos on bees or other important insects?

Answered By Chris Sansone - Jul 23, 2014

A: All plants genetically modified to be insect resistant or herbicide tolerant undergo a risk assessment, which includes evaluating potential adverse impacts on nontarget arthropods (insects and related animals). Major groups tested include pollinators (e.g., honey bees and bumble bees), predators (e.g., lady beetles and green lacewings) and parasites (e.g., Diaeretiella rapae, an aphid parasite). In addition, soil-dwelling animals, like earthworms, isopods, Collembola, nematodes and protozoa, have been tested. Please read this review of the effects of GMOs on bees and insects (Annual Revi [...]

Answered By Chris Sansone - Jul 23, 2014

A: All plants genetically modified to be insect resistant or herbicide tolerant undergo a risk assessment, which includes evaluating potential adverse impacts on nontarget arthropods (insects and related animals). Major groups tested include pollinators (e.g., honey bees and bumble bees), predators (e.g., lady beetles and green lacewings) and parasites (e.g., Diaeretiella rapae, an aphid parasite). In addition, soil-dwelling animals, like earthworms, isopods, Collembola, nematodes and protozoa, have been tested. Please read this review of the effects of GMOs on bees and insects (Annual Revi [...]

Q: Has there been any cases where gmo crops have harmed bees or other wildlife where non gmo crops have not? Also are there any studies on the affects of gmos on bees or other important insects?

Answered By Chris Sansone - Jul 23, 2014

A: All plants genetically modified to be insect resistant or herbicide tolerant undergo a risk assessment, which includes evaluating potential adverse impacts on nontarget arthropods (insects and related animals). Major groups tested include pollinators (e.g., honey bees and bumble bees), predators (e.g., lady beetles and green lacewings) and parasites (e.g., Diaeretiella rapae, an aphid parasite). In addition, soil-dwelling animals, like earthworms, isopods, Collembola, nematodes and protozoa, have been tested. Please read this review of the effects of GMOs on bees and insects (Annual Revi [...]

Answered By Chris Sansone - Jul 23, 2014

A: All plants genetically modified to be insect resistant or herbicide tolerant undergo a risk assessment, which includes evaluating potential adverse impacts on nontarget arthropods (insects and related animals). Major groups tested include pollinators (e.g., honey bees and bumble bees), predators (e.g., lady beetles and green lacewings) and parasites (e.g., Diaeretiella rapae, an aphid parasite). In addition, soil-dwelling animals, like earthworms, isopods, Collembola, nematodes and protozoa, have been tested. Please read this review of the effects of GMOs on bees and insects (Annual Revi [...]

Q: What is the connection between GMOs and neonicitinoids?

Answered By Chris Sansone - Sep 04, 2014

A: There is no connection between genetically modified (GM) crops and neonicotinoids. Both can be used separately or together by homeowners and growers. Homeowners, especially in urban areas, use neonicotinoids to protect ornamentals and citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening and to protect their trees from the emerald ash borer, the Asian longhorned beetle and the hemlock woolly adelgid, and growers use both neonicotinoids and GM crops to manage damaging insect populations.   The reason for using seed treatments is that seeds and seedlings are very vulnerable to at [...]

Answered By Chris Sansone - Sep 04, 2014

A: There is no connection between genetically modified (GM) crops and neonicotinoids. Both can be used separately or together by homeowners and growers. Homeowners, especially in urban areas, use neonicotinoids to protect ornamentals and citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening and to protect their trees from the emerald ash borer, the Asian longhorned beetle and the hemlock woolly adelgid, and growers use both neonicotinoids and GM crops to manage damaging insect populations.   The reason for using seed treatments is that seeds and seedlings are very vulnerable to at [...]