Glyphosate in honey

Post Reply
User avatar
Shnookie
Free Ranging
Posts: 996
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:27 pm
Location: Regina
x 1346

Glyphosate in honey

Post by Shnookie » Thu Mar 16, 2017 11:30 am

There's an article in the Western Producer this week that says glyphosate has been found in American honey - about 80% of it has the some of the chemical. They think it may be because bees forage on corn and soybeans, and both those crops are sprayed with glyphosate during the growing season. Levels found were 20 to 100 parts per billion and higher in honey tested in the past year. There was no testing done for glyphosate in honey before that. No testing has been done in Canada yet.

A comment made by the Canadian Honey Council was "However prairie bees live in an environment with more wild land and less cropland than American honey bees. For the most part, I don't expect that we would have as much of an issue up here. Our habitat is quite a bit different. Even in intensive farming areas there are still areas that are natural."

The article also said "The CFIA has been testing foods, grains, and oilseeds for glyphosate residues since 2015. The agency said in 2016 that it would publish results of the testing in April of 2017."

The Honey Council should take a trip to the prairies to see how little wild land is left here. Besides that, bees will forage on all kinds of crops, even if there are wild flowers around. Crop sprays can drift for miles in open areas.
6

User avatar
Ontario Chick
Poultry Guru
Posts: 5393
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 10:12 am
Answers: 2
Location: Carp - West Ottawa
x 9610

Glyphosate in honey

Post by Ontario Chick » Thu Mar 16, 2017 4:13 pm

Isn't that odd that no testing has been done before now?
Haven't we known that bees are being harmed by spraying for while now, why wouldn't anybody think that the honey might be affected?
0

User avatar
Maximus
x 4839

Glyphosate in honey

Post by Maximus » Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:50 pm

Around here you see dozens of hives along the side of crops. It's very disturbing considering I know what those crops are sprayed with.

This is where people think I'm crazy
Insecticide, Neonicotinoids, chemically structured the same as nicotine. Addictive for humans....
There was a study where bees that were placed by soy and corn crops then moved away and had plenty of wild flowers and a more natural environment still travelled looking for Neonicotinoids, so the suggestion is they are 'craving' the toxin.
Go ahead and laugh ... but I can totally see the logic!
0

User avatar
windwalkingwolf
Poultry Guru - pullet level
Posts: 3567
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 1:31 pm
Answers: 3
Location: Frankville, Ontario
x 4899

Glyphosate in honey

Post by windwalkingwolf » Fri Mar 17, 2017 12:16 am

Nicotine has some protective effects for joint health and some brain diseases. At least the bees won't need hip replacements and will be cognizant while they're puking themselves to death.
Glyphosphates are not only used for weed control on GM crops, but also as a drying agent for all sorts of things...So even if you avoid GM food, there's a chance you're eating Roundup. Yum!
1

User avatar
Shnookie
Free Ranging
Posts: 996
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:27 pm
Location: Regina
x 1346

Glyphosate in honey

Post by Shnookie » Fri Mar 17, 2017 11:49 am

They use glyphosate here both to kill weeds, and as a dessicant for lentils, peas and other crops when they don't want to wait for them to ripen. When they spray to dry a crop there could still be flowers on some of the plants, and insects trying to pollinate them. Farmers get the convenience of the crop all dying at the same time so they can harvest, and the people who eat it get the disadvantage of eating food that has not ripened naturally and has been sprayed with multiple chemicals.

The Nature of Things this week is about ADHD. They have found a link to nicotine. It's very interesting.
5

G Williams
On the Roost
Posts: 164
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:27 am
Location: Egbert/ Cookstown
x 224

Glyphosate in honey

Post by G Williams » Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:16 am

Shnookie wrote:QR_BBPOST They use glyphosate here both to kill weeds, and as a dessicant for lentils, peas and other crops when they don't want to wait for them to ripen. When they spray to dry a crop there could still be flowers on some of the plants, and insects trying to pollinate them. Farmers get the convenience of the crop all dying at the same time so they can harvest, and the people who eat it get the disadvantage of eating food that has not ripened naturally and has been sprayed with multiple chemicals.

The Nature of Things this week is about ADHD. They have found a link to nicotine. It's very interesting.
Couldn't have said it better myself!
0

Post Reply

Return to “Beekeeping”