37 Million Bees Found Dead After Planting Large GMO Corn Field Treated With Neonicotinoid Class Of

[Ghost in the Machine]

Last edited Mon Mar 14, 2016, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

***EDIT*** The headline on this article is very misleading, but *I* didn't write it. It also appears to be a 2 year old story that has been recycled, as you can see by the date in the by-line. The *CONTENT* of the story focuses mostly on the insecticides being used, which I have read that they are used even on non-GMO crops. I can't apologize for a misleading headline that I didn't write, though I WILL apologize for the confusion it caused. That being said, I am still not 100% convinced that GM foods are safe, and posted a link way down-thread to a peer-reviewed study that shows that {paraphrasing} 'Scientific studies PROVE that GM foods are safe, so that's the end of it', is NOT TRUE. I will continue to choose to avoid GM/Monsanto products and eat what I want to, and everyone else is free to eat whatever they want to. My main concern was about the bees dying off, which has been a topic of conversation here for a few years now. Peace within, peace between, peace among.... Ghost

37 Million Bees Found Dead After Planting Large GMO Corn Field Treated With Neonicotinoid Class Of Pesticides - February 27, 2016

Millions of bees dropped dead after GMO corn was planted few weeks ago in Ontario, Canada. The local bee keeper, Dave Schuit who produces honey in Elmwood lost about 37 million bees which are about 600 hives.

“Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions,” Schuit said. While many bee keepers blame neonicotinoids, or “neonics.” for colony collapse of bees and many countries in EU have banned neonicotinoid class of pesticides, the US Department of Agriculture fails to ban insecticides known as neonicotinoids, manufactured by Bayer CropScience Inc.

Nathan Carey another local farmer says that this spring he noticed that there were not enough bees on his farm and he believes that there is a strong correlation between the disappearance of bees and insecticide use.

New research shows that neonicotinoid pesticides kill honeybees by damaging their immune system:

A new study published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that neonicotinoid pesticides kill honeybees by damaging their immune system and making them unable to fight diseases and bacteria.

http://jbanews.com/2016/02/27/37-million-bees-found-dead-after-planting-large-gmo-corn-field-treated-with-neonicotinoid-class-of-pesticides/#respond

I don't know anything about this site, I just followed a link from Facebook, but I know that the bees dying off have been a problem discussed here for a few years now...

Peace,

Ghost

[AxionExcel]

1. Corporate GMO imperialism is unhealthy for living things

[Buzz Clik]

28. Do you figure it was the GMO corn that killed them?

[Wilms]

2. Snopes says this is undetermined.

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

[k8conant]

3. The snopes article mostly says that it was found that neonicotinoid pesticides

were causing honeybee deaths not GMO corn per se.

[Wilms]

7. So I kind of wonder if it matters.

If they're using neonicotinoid pesticides because they are planting GMOs it's still a bad deal for the bees...and us.

[k8conant]

9. True...nt

[Duppers]

23. GMO plants better tolerate neonicotinoids.

That's the connection.



Kill the bees, kill ourselves.
-- Paraphrasing Einstein.

[Buzz Clik]

32. It's irrelevant.

The neonics are used on ALL corn, not just GMO. There's no "tolerance" by corn involved -- neonics are insecticides, not herbicides.

[HuckleB]

43. Name the GMO plants that tolerate neonics.

[HuckleB]

45. I'm impressed.

Perhaps your time in our group has been helpful.

[Wilms]

55. Well gee Huck.

Last time we met, I indicated I was a skeptic. You protested.

Would my questioning assumptions necessarily warrant ones skepticism, or worse, about my critical faculty? Of course not. It would be most unscientific.

[HuckleB]

59. You're still a long way from being a skeptic.

Don't get ahead of yourself.

[Albertoo]

4. neonicotinoids should be banned ASAP

Better safe than sorry

[deathrind]

8. "Better safe than sorry"

You hit the nail on the head with that sentence.

[Albertoo]

10. City dwellers tend to forget it's bees which pollinate many foods

[deathrind]

13. Yes,

With-out bee's the human race would be in dire straights. Food production would plummet and famine would be continuous. In a situation like this where 37m bees died shortly after this pesticide being used the smart move would be to stop using the pesticide now, presume it is the problem until it can be confirmed that it is not. The stakes are too great to approach the problem form the opposite direction.

[RoccoR5955]

56. They ARE banned

In Germany and the Netherlands, as far as I know. They are probably banned in other countries in the EU as well.
http://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---11930-e.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/may/23/wildlife.endangeredspecies

[Albertoo]

112. I meant, should be banned in the US

[Major Nikon]

156. So why not cell phones while we're at it?

http://inhabitat.com/its-official-cell-phones-are-killing-bees/

[deathrind]

5. Hmmmm...

"New research shows that neonicotinoid pesticides kill honeybees by damaging their immune system:"

When will we learn...probably never. I fully expect to see sometime in the near future and add for "Brawndo" to be used for irrigation.

[womanofthehills]

137. EPA admits what's been killing bees

In a report released this week, the federal government has finally admitted neonicotinoids are to blame for the catastrophic bee deaths that have occurred over the last several years. The findings are part of the first scientific risk assessment to be done on the controversial insecticides and their affect on bee colonies.

from Jan 10, 2016

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/epa-finally-admits-what-has-been-killing-bees-for-decades/

[Nailzberg]

6. Just followed a lonk on facebook. Usually never a good sign.

[Duppers]

25. Only if your friends are idiots.

[petronius]

11. OT, but I had no idea there were that many bees in a beehive

37,000,000 bees / 600 hives =~ 62,000 bees/hive, which googling suggests is not unrealistic. Think I'll give those boxes an even wider berth than I do already...

[bvar22]

15. 50K -60K is about right for the average Honey Bee colony,

though some super colonies can have 100K or more.
We started Bee Keeping in 2007 after moving to an area far from Agri-Business or other Industrial/Urban/Suburban pollution.

We have not had an incidence of CCD, and no other BeeKeepers in the area have reported any. Some colonies will die for other reasons.

We still worry about GMO BT Corn. BT is a pesticide that kills soft body pests, like corn worms, and is carried in the corn pollen. While Honey Bees do not feed on corn, it would be easy for them to pick up corn pollen. Bee Larvae ARE soft bodied.

We even refuse to feed our Bees Corn Syrup because there is no guarantee that Corn Syrup does not contain ANY GMO corn pollen.

We have happy bees.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1182412

[petronius]

104. That's extremely cool, congratulations! Hope this season turns out well for you

Is the phrase "Blackberry Frost" an Arkansas-wide thing, or more local? (I don't recall ever hearing it when I lived in Louisiana...)

[bvar22]

158. I had never heard of it either until moving to this area.

Everybody here who grows veggies uses the term. The BIG discussions this time of the year is "When are you going to plant?",and someone, usually an older person, always mentions the "BlackBerry Frost" as a caution against planting too early. This frost traditionally occurs about mid-April in this location....so I suspect it is localized to Central Arkansas. I grew up in Louisiana (New Orleans) , and had never heard of it either.

I could find nothing on Google, but it is ubiquitous at the seed stores and Farmer's Co-Op, where all the growers are now hanging out. Initially, I thought the locals were saying "BlackBear Frost" until corrected. Nobody I've asked knows how it got named.

We didn't have a Blackberry Frost last year, and I planted early...and it paid off.
It is 80 degrees and sunny today, and my instincts are screaming "Get you garden planted NOW", but caution says, "Wait a couple of more weeks."

BTW: The best way to become accepted by rural communities like this one is to compliment people on their gardens, and ask their advice...whether needed or not.
People LOVE to talk about their gardens. The absolute WORST thing any newcomer can do is to tell someone they are doing it wrong.

Thanks for the kind words.

[Brother Buzz]

12. They are growing corn in Ontario in February?

Used to bee (see what I did there?), they planted corn around May Day. What did they do, splice some polar bear genes into the seeds?

[Kali]

87. my first thought too

old story or maybe the poor things just froze to death

[Brother Buzz]

91. It's got to be an old story

Here in temperate California, my beekeeping friends spend a ton of money and effort to get their colony populations up to strength for the almond pollinating season in February, while bees in Canadian are still deep in winter mode.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. k&r

[Archae]

16. This story and web site are pure bullshit.

Some headlines from the site:

Middle 20% of American Households Will Have Taxes Rise $4600 Under Bernie Sanders

No Naturally Occurring Fluoride Is Added To Drinking Water. See What’s Really Added…

Your Body is Acidic. Here is what you NEED to Do (The Real Truth Behind Cancer that You Will Never Hear From Your Doctor)

This 18-Year-Old Girl Lived on 3 Apples a Day for 8 Months! 5 Years Later This is What she Looks Like!

WOMAN WHO PREDICTED THE FALL OF THE TWIN TOWERS HAS BAD NEWS FOR 2016 AND THERE’S MORE!


I'm sick and tired of these bullshit stories still getting spread around, anti-vaccination, anti-GMO, anti-fluoride, etc.

Our media (especially entertainment media) is *NO* help whatsoever, either a scientist is depicted as mad, and trying to destroy the world, or a total nerd who never gets the girl.

Even fucking MONSANTO is open and honest with their methods, and their research.

Ant-Monsanto hysterics like Jeffrey Smith do 'research" by making stuff up.

[sarge43]

20. Yeah. That lit up my crap detector.

Honey bees do not harvest corn pollen.

[PaulaFarrell]

140. it gets into the soil via the seeds

Which are treated with it , and is absorbed by other plants which the bees forage on. But to be fair it may have nothing to do with GMO

[sarge43]

149. Good point about drift

That was my other question. Were the bees tested for other possibilities, like varroa mites?

[deathrind]

33. The story is on...

Numerous sites so I don't think it is BS.

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2013/7/6/1221616/-37-million-bees-died-in-Ontario-Do-you-want-to-guess-how

http://www.thepost.on.ca/2013/06/19/bees-dying-by-the-millions

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/37-million-bees-fall-out-4586303

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/why-the-death-of-37-million-bees-matters-to-you#.kxbd77K45y


Certainly the cause is still undetermined but the die off appears to be very real.

[HuckleB]

38. So what?

Have you bothered to think about the problems with this story?

[deathrind]

96. What problems would that be?

Numerous sources confirm the die off of Honey Bee's. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been an on going issue for several years now. There are several studies that strongly indicate a link between neonicotinoids used in the pesticides and CCD (one by Harvard, that you imply below has been proven false. I looked for the that but did not find it, do you have a link for that?)

While no "smoking gun" has been found as of yet between the pesticide and CCD the circumstantial evidence is very strong. Given the importance of Honey Bee's to food production it would be smart to stop using the pesticides until we find out empirically that it is not the cause or a contributor to CCD. Certainly this would probably reduce the out put of some crops and reduce the profits of some chemical companies but that impact would be far easier to survive then the continued loss of Honey Bee's and the invaluable impact they have on food production, no?

[HuckleB]

97. Like it's two years old. It's winter. It's been debunked.

Etc...

[deathrind]

98. Ok

How old it is does not matter, what season it is does not matter. Scientific proof that it is false matters. If you cannot provide that than I am going to have to go with the Harvard School of Public Health on this one.

[HuckleB]

100. It's been provided on this thread, over and over again.

Oddly, you didnz't ask for the same proof when it came to the claims made by the OP link.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

[katsy]

37. Is this better?

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/study-strengthens-link-between-neonicotinoids-and-collapse-of-honey-bee-colonies/

[Hissyspit]

77. ^^^^^

[HuckleB]

79. That was debunked, too, but it is unrelated to the BS in the OP.

[womanofthehills]

93. When pesticide kills all our bees - not to worry - we can get our honey from CUBA!!

Organic honey is a sweet success for Cuba as other bee populations suffer

When the Caribbean state was no longer able to afford pesticides – which have been linked with declining bee populations – it made a virtue out of a necessity. Long known for its cigars and rum, Cuba has added organic honey to its list of key agricultural exports, creating a buzz among farmers as pesticide use has been linked to declining bee populations elsewhere.

Organic honey has become Cuba’s fourth most valuable agricultural export behind fish products, tobacco and drinks, but ahead of the Caribbean island’s more famous sugar and coffee, said Theodor Friedrich, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) representative for Cuba.

“All of [Cuba’s] honey can be certified as organic,” Friedrich told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Its honey has a very specific, typical taste; in monetary value, it’s a high-ranking product.“

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/09/organic-honey-is-a-sweet-success-for-cuba-as-other-bee-populations-suffer?CMP=share_btn_fb

[HuckleB]

94. The plural of anecdote is not data.

And your link has nothing to do with the discussion.

How many times do you have to be debunked before you finally start to wonder about your preconceptions?

Are you actually supporting this crap OP?

[womanofthehills]

157. I think it does

[HuckleB]

159. Do you even know why that meme is wrong?

[HuckleB]

99. That study is fine, but many others show different results.

None of at supports this bad story in the OP.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-entine/neonics-not-key-driver-of_b_6928578.html



http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/02/05/bee-deaths-reversal-as-evidence-points-away-from-neonics-as-driver-pressure-builds-to-rethink-ban/#6984f9835f9d

[Major Nikon]

154. That study was shit

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-entine/post_8761_b_6323626.html

[Major Nikon]

153. No

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-entine/post_8761_b_6323626.html

[Ghost in the Machine]

40. Nice cherry-picking job! Did you leave these out on purpose??

Bernie Sanders Publicly Slams New Head of FDA & It’s Great

EU Countries Launch Shock Rebellion against Glyphosate Herbicides

Scientist who discovered that GMO’s cause tumors wins lawsuit

A court has ruled that French Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini was correct when he concluded that GMO food, when fed to rats, caused serious health problems…

Did you also just skip over this?:

While EU countries implant a two-year ban on the use of toxic neonicotinoid insecticides – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – USDA once again fails to ban these toxic insecticides:

More and more evidence are merging that neonicotinoid insecticides have an important role in decline of bees’ population. Besides harming bees, the new studies suggest that neonicotinoid pesticides can also be harmful to human’s health. Neonicotinoid pesticides remain in every part of the plant including roots, pollen, leaves and nectar and if bees, pests or bugs drink water from the plants’ droplets, the neurotoxin kills them right away.
The genetic engineering has failed to keep its promise of using fewer pesticides and insecticides:

A report by Charles Benbrook (a research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University) shows that since the introduction of GMOs, the use of chemicals have increased by 500 million pounds.

Didn’t biotech promise that GMOs would be helping the environment while feeding the poor and hungry? Well, GMOs have had the opposite results and have led to many problems in US and the world agriculture (from superweeds and superpests to spread of new diseases in the soil) and environment. While neonicotinoid class of pesticides destroys and damages the immune system of bees, Monsanto’s best herbicide weed killer continues to weaken the immune system in human beings.

As mentioned in another reply, honeybees may not POLLINATE corn, but it wouldn't be hard for them to pick up some of the pesticide contaminated pollination...

[katsy]

53. Maybe everyone but bayer & monsanto

Are crazy.

Right.

http://ento.psu.edu/publications/are-neonicotinoids-killing-bees

[tabasco]

17. I thought GMO was all harmless and stuff

Maybe we can adapt to eat plastic if we kill all the bees.

[jeff47]

51. Well, in this case GMO is irrelevant.

Neonicotinoid pesticides are used on GMO and non-GMO crops. They're insecticides, not herbicides.

[longship]

18. Note: No bees killed by GMO.

It was the pesticides, not the genetic modification. BTW, they were likely "organic" pesticides.

GMO is safe. Pesticides probably less so.

[Duppers]

19. Kicked and RECOMMENDED.

We cannot continue like this.

[HuckleB]

39. Derp.

No, we can't continue to promote obvious nonsense in order to scare people away from useful tech.

[turbinetree]

21. Here ------------------some added information......................to your piece..............

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/05/smoking-gun-bee-collapse

Honk--------------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

[Duppers]

29. ...

Thanks.

[HuckleB]

41. Philpott is an anti-GMO hack.

He has no credibility, and for good reason.

PS: The OP was debunked years ago.
http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

[Ghost in the Machine]

52. "Philpott is an anti-GMO hack."..... So what are you saying, that you're a "pro-GMO water carrier"..

.. or what?? Enquiring minds want to know! It would be better if you added some context, and a link, to your assertion. It might give YOU more credibility yourself. Otherwise, I see no reason why anyone should take YOU seriously. What are your credentials??

Thanks in advance,

Ghost

[HuckleB]

54. You're the person who posted this long-debunked propaganda.

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

It's not surprising that you don't know the reality about Philpott.

[Ghost in the Machine]

65. The only thing I've seen debunked is that bees don't pollinate corn...

However, I have seen NOTHING debunking that exposure to the pesticide mentioned doesn't kill the bees. The article states that the bees can be exposed to it by drinking contaminated water...

Peace,

Ghost

[HuckleB]

66. Try reading the responses.

Seriously. You should be very ashamed. You owe DU a big time apology. Are you adult enough to offer it?

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

Now fix this. You caused it.

[Ghost in the Machine]

75. I *HAVE* read the responses, and they are conflicting... some pro-GMO, some anti-GMO

I have made more than one public apology on here during my time here, and have NO PROBLEM doing so when I am convinced that I am 100% wrong. I'm not there yet. Are YOU adult enough to let someone research a LOT more and make up their own mind, or do you expect them to just bow down to your self perceived "authority"?

I am not saying that you *ARE* one, but I will say that you are starting to act and sound like some of these "paid posters" that jump on ANYTHING "anti-GMO", or some other pet causes that get brought up here. I've been here over 10 years, and have seen it too many times...

I will do my own research, but it's going to take more than a few minutes to do, if that's ok with you. If it isn't...oh well!

Ghost

[HuckleB]

78. You owe us all a big apology.

And after this post, you owe me a very public apology.

[Ghost in the Machine]

83. I owe YOU nothing!

YOU owe ME a very public apology for pretending to know *what I know*, and accusing me of "planting false propaganda".

How can I get any research done when you keep on posting like a drone (pardon the pun) and keeping me on here??

Ghost

[HuckleB]

84. You owe us all a massive apology.

Period.

Do the right thing.

[HuckleB]

57. PS:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/are_gmo_foods_safe_opponents_are_skewing_the_science_to_scare_people_.html

[Dont call me Shirley]

22. But many here tout the safety of gmos and pesticides....

[Duppers]

26. Disgusting how uninformed some are.

Thanks.

[HuckleB]

147. You seem to be among the most uninformed on this topic.

[zentrum]

24. Kill the bees

…and we kill ourselves, eventually. They're the canaries.

Love bees.

[PearliePoo2]

34. Yes

unfortunately. Makes me sick.

[zentrum]

48. I recommend the

……film, "Queen of the Sun". I saw it in the theater but might be on Youtube these days.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

27. sigh.

[Buzz Clik]

30. This is not the normal response to neonicotinoids. Usually, the bees become disoriented and ...

... simply lose their way home. Massive die-offs like this are extremely, extremely rare.

[HuckleB]

36. It was February in Ontario, so the neonics were clearly the cause of something.

[Buzz Clik]

67. Your comment made me go back to the article.

Planting corn in Ontario in early February?

Not likely. What the heck!!??!!

[HuckleB]

68. And yet 85 plus DUers liked it.

This is embarrassing.

[monicaangela]

31. On this planet we have the greedy

People who for profit will wipe us all out if we don't stand up and fight back.

[HuckleB]

35. If you don't know the reality of the source, why post such ludicrous claims?

This is from February. Do you know anything about Ontario in February?

Think.

[mopinko]

42. jeeeeebus. how many times does this natural news story have to be debunked?

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

[HuckleB]

46. Oh, goodness. And it pulled in 70 likes already.

Please post this more prominently. Thank you.

[womanofthehills]

105. There are many other studies about sick honey bees

http://www.panna.org/blog/ge-corn-sick-honey-bees-whats-link

You and Hucklebee are the GMO pesticide, herbicide, chemical lovers and always back each other up. You both hate organic food and seem to love Monsanto.

[mopinko]

150. we both are hard core believers in real science.

one of the reasons i dont have a big thing about gmo's is that the studies on the anti side all suck.
lots of thing corollate, that isnt causation.

extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

[Duppers]

44. This drive for ever-increasing productivity

is good for industry but is killing bees, the environment, and consequently us.

How much time do we have left?

[HuckleB]

47. Prove your claims with a consensus of peer-reviewed science.

This story has already been debunked, btw.

[CentralMass]

58. Anytime terms like peered reviewed concensous are bandied about you know eyes are on this post.

[HuckleB]

60. I'm waiting.

Oddly, you already had been shown the reality about the OP.

Are you really going to ignore that?

[CentralMass]

61. I don't don't need peer reviewed studies to tell me that

Last edited Mon Mar 14, 2016, 03:13 AM - Edit history (1)

I don't want the food that is going into my families mouth to be genetically modified so that it can withstand increasingly stronger pesticides.

[HuckleB]

63. You just proved that you don't know anything about the topic.

Most GMOs in recent years have nothing to do with pesticides. No GMOs have anything to do with neonics. Oh, and the GMOs that are related to herbicides allow for less toxic herbicides at very low levels. If you're avoiding GMO food, you are probably eating more pesticides.

[womanofthehills]

119. I'm with you and so is most of Europe

GM Crops Now Banned in 38 Countries Worldwide – Sustainable Pulse Research

Thirty eight (38) countries worldwide have officially banned the cultivation of GM crops and only 28 actually grow GM crops (most of which grow under 500 thousand hectares). The picture painted by the Biotech industry and the U.S. government that GM crops have been accepted by the majority of countries worldwide is therefore quite obviously wrong.

In fact many countries have recently started to put in place regulations to protect their population and environment from the environmental and health damage caused by GM crops.

http://sustainablepulse.com/2015/10/22/gm-crops-now-banned-in-36-countries-worldwide-sustainable-pulse-research/#.VuZC0z_Xh-J

[womanofthehills]

125. Lucky Belgium bees - no GMO's for them

Belgian ministers take action in EU weed killer dispute

Regional environment ministers in the Brussels and Wallonia jurisdictions in Belgium have said they will ban glyphosate - a pesticide which some say probably causes cancer and whose EU stamp of approval is up for renewal.
Environmentalists have waged a campaign against the renewal because the World Health Organization's (WHO’s) cancer agency found last year that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic”.

https://euobserver.com/environment/132634

[CentralMass]

49. They are clearly liberal science haters trying to hurt the noble purveyors of GMO crops and ..i.

pesticides.

[HuckleB]

50. This is an old conspiracy story that is debunked.

http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/gmobeedeaths.asp

[womanofthehills]

101. GE corn & sick honey bees

Honey bees caught in the cross-fire

Corn is far from the only crop treated by neonicotinoids, but it is the largest use of arable land in North America, and honey bees rely on corn as a major protein source. At least 94% of the 92 million acres of corn planted across the U.S. this year will have been treated with either clothianidin or thiamethoxam (another neonicotinoid).
Over the last 15 years, U.S. corn cultivation has gone from a crop requiring little-to-no insecticides and negligible amounts of fungicides, to a crop where the average acre is grown from seeds treated or genetically engineered to express three different insecticides (as well as a fungicide or two) before being sprayed prophylactically with RoundUp (an herbicide) and a new class of fungicides that farmers didn’t know they “needed” before the mid-2000s.
At least 94% of the 92 million U.S. acres planted in corn is treated with pesticides known to harm bees.

Back to the bees. Neonicotinoids are known to synergize with certain fungicides to increase the toxicity of the former to honey bees up to 1,000-fold, and fungicides may be key culprits in undermining beneficial bee microbiota that do things like make beebread nutritious and support immune response against gut pathogens like Nosema.Fungicide use in corn is likewise destroying beneficial fungi in many cropping systems, and driving the emergence of resistant strains.

http://www.panna.org/blog/ge-corn-sick-honey-bees-whats-link (of course you will put down Panna, but having been poisoned by pesticides myself, they have been a wonderful source of info)

[HuckleB]

107. An antiGMO fiction Link?

[HuckleB]

62. The OP knows this story is completely bogus.

So where is the full and public apology?

[Ghost in the Machine]

69. No, the OP is not yet fully convinced, and you can't PROVE what *I* "know", so the

"full and public apology" should be coming from you!

Thanks in advance..

Ghost

[HuckleB]

70. You posted a two-year-old story that was debunked then.

And posted it as if it just happened. You know the reality.

Denial only harms the planet and those who live here.

Do the right thing.

[Ghost in the Machine]

81. I posted something I JUST READ before posting! Do YOU see the date in the by-line?

February 27, 2016

So NO, I had NO IDEA that this was a 2 year old story. You sure do seem to think you know EVERYTHING, though. Are you psychic or clairvoyant??

[HuckleB]

85. And you posted it without looking into it.

Which is bad enough, but now you know the reality.

[Ghost in the Machine]

88. "but now you know the reality" The reality that I know is that there is a Worldwide movement against

GMOs *and* Monsanto.... I'll ask again.... are you psychic or clairvoyant? Are YOU adult enough to stop posting long enough to let me research more for myself and make up my own informed decision?

FACT: Bees have been dying at alarming rates for several years now, and it has been discussed widely on here.

FACT: I have already proven you wrong about what I know. I didn't know this article was 2 years old. The one I linked to was printed a couple of weeks ago.

FACT: I owe YOU *nothing*

FACT: I have been MAN ENOUGH to issue a retraction and formal apology more than once in my 10+ years here, and have NO PROBLEM admitting when I am wrong when it becomes 100% CLEAR that I AM wrong.

FACT: YOU don't dictate ANYTHING to me, or tell me what I WILL do. Period.

FACT: There seems to be a LOT MORE "anti-GMO" people on here than there are "pro-GMO" (which really doesn't "prove" anything) and it takes time to go through it all, and other sites, to make a more informed decision. That decision STILL might not concur with yours, though.

Peace,

Ghost

[HuckleB]

89. So doing the right thing is not your thing.

You would rather post more claims that are not supported by science.

That sucks.

Your fellow humans deserve better from you. Grow up. You are part of the problem, if you continue as you are ...

PS: I have apologized for posting things that turned out to be inaccurate. Why is that so hard for you?

[Ghost in the Machine]

110. And here you are, still flapping away with the fingers when it is apparently clear that you should

be brushing up on your reading comprehension skills. Please let me know exactly what part of....

FACT: I have been MAN ENOUGH to issue a retraction and formal apology more than once in my 10+ years here, and have NO PROBLEM admitting when I am wrong when it becomes 100% CLEAR that I AM wrong.

.... that it is that you DON'T comprehend and I will try to make it clearer for you, okay? It sounds like YOU are the one that needs to "grow up". You are beginning to act like an impetulant child pitching a fit because I won't just accept your word and bow down to you.

I have already admitted that I realize that bees DO NOT pollinate corn... but they ARE affected by the insecticides used if they drink water that has been contaminated by the insecticides which, incidentally, are used one both GMO and non-GMO corn seeds. Actually, the article I linked to really only mentioned the corn fields in the headline, while the article focused mainly on the insecticides.

Furthermore, you and others who make the claim that GM foods are scientifically proven to be safe are incorrect. YOU are pushing false propaganda with that. I have done a little bit of research, and here is what I found. Mind you, now, that I haven't had much time, and certainly can't make a fully informed decision in an hour or two

This is from 2015:

Media Reports That GMO Science Is Settled Are Flat-Out Wrong

In the wake of prominent media reports about supposed scientific agreement on the safety of genetically engineered food, including a cover story in National Geographic that equates concerns about GMOs with climate change denial, U.S. Right to Know is calling on media to accurately report that the science on GMOs is contradictory, unsettled, and has been largely controlled by corporations that profit from GMO seeds and the pesticides that go with them.

“Unfortunately, many members of the media, and even some scientists, have been snookered by PR firms about a supposed scientific consensus on GMOs that doesn’t exist,” said Stacy Malkan, media director of U.S. Right to Know.

Seedy Business, a recent report by U.S. Right to Know, outlines how agrichemical firms have spent more than $100 million since 2012 on political and PR campaigns to shift the media narrative on GMOs. In a video removed from the Internet, the public relations firm Ketchum bragged about doubling positive media coverage on GMOs.

For an accurate picture of the science, U.S. Right to Know urged journalists to read a January 24 statement published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe — signed by 300 scientists, physicians and scholars — that asserts there is no scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs.

The claim of scientific consensus on GMOs frequently repeated in the media is “an artificial construct that has been falsely perpetuated,” the peer-reviewed statement said. {emphasis mine}

Entitled “No Scientific Consensus on GMO Safety,” the statement does not take a position on whether GMOs are unsafe or safe. Rather, it cites a concerted effort by GMO seed developers and some scientists, commentators and journalists to construct the claim that there is a “scientific consensus” on GMO safety, and that debate on the topic is “over.”

{Much more at the link}

http://www.nationofchange.org/2015/02/21/media-reports-gmo-science-settled-flat-wrong/

I will stick to my free-range beef, chicken & pork, along with my pesticide/insecticide-free home grown vegetables, and avoid anything store-bought that has a GM or Monsanto label on it for now. You eat what you want to, and I will do the same.

I am also sorry, but I cannot apologize for using the headline to an article that I just read, that said it was printed a couple of weeks ago. I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for someone else's misleading headline, and have seen others get jumped on for making up their own headline before. I will stand by the content, which is that the pesticides/insecticides are killing the bees, and I am not 100% sure that GM foods are safe, and that goes for the GM crops that are fed to cattle, pigs and chickens, along with the antibiotics and growth hormones that they are given, too.

MY main concern, and reason for posting the article, is because I am concerned about the lack of bees and them dying off. Without bees, the whole world is screwed because crops, flowers and some trees will not be pollinated, which will cause a mass reduction in the food supply, as well as the oxygen put out by the leaves on the trees. Our Planet will start slowly dying, at first, then accelerate as the food supplies and oxygen start running out faster than it can be reproduced.

I hope you have a great rest of your evening, and a wonderful week ahead of you....

Peace to you and yours,

Ghost

[womanofthehills]

102. You love to be rude to people

sign of the personality disordered!!

[HuckleB]

103. You are now propagating stigma upon people with mental illness.

And I'm rude for asking people to be honest?

[laundry_queen]

109. For someone who says they know science

They really should know the difference between a mental illness and a personality disorder. Not. the. same. thing.

[HuckleB]

111. Yes. They are the same thing.

Read the DSM.

[laundry_queen]

113. They are in the DSM

but ask any psychiatrist if they consider a narcissist mentally ill in the same way as someone with schizophrenia.

Not the same thing at all and to conflate the 2 does a huge disservice to people who are actually mentally ill. Shame on you.

[HuckleB]

114. Yes, they do.

You are wrong. Very wrong.

You have no idea what you're talking about. At all.

Stop stigmatizing people with ignorance.

[laundry_queen]

117. Ah projection

[HuckleB]

118. You probably don't know what that means.

[laundry_queen]

122. Ok. nt

[HuckleB]

115. Why was DBT developed?

And why is it now used to treat things like anxiety and depression?

[laundry_queen]

121. You are now cherry picking one personality disorder, the only one pretty much

that can be successfully treated and twisting it to show that if it was not a mental illness it wouldn't have resulted in all these wonderful treatments for other mental illnesses. Just because a personality disorder can be treated, does not make it a mental illness automatically. People with personality disorders can make decisions on how they behave. People with mental illnesses cannot. Big difference.

[HuckleB]

124. No, I'm not.

I 'm pointing out the reality that all mental illness diagnoses are mental illness diagnoses, and stigmatizing people is wrong.

It's time for you to recognize this and make amends,

[laundry_queen]

126. So you are saying AsPD and NPD

are the same thing and schizophrenia, anxiety and depression?

[HuckleB]

129. So you're saying mental illness stigma is fine...

... If it's attached to certain diagnoses, but not others?

Wake up.

[laundry_queen]

130. Thanks for the non-answer answer. nt

[HuckleB]

131. You don't like reality. I get that.

That has nothing to do with your false premises.

[laundry_queen]

132. No, I just can't really see Donald Trump

as needing the same level of help as my best friend's brother with schizophrenia, you know?

[HuckleB]

134. Donald Trump is an anecdote.

You just proved that you don't understand any of this, yet again. And you just pushed stigma upon good people, yet again. Sheesh.

[laundry_queen]

135. LOL, yes you are the gatekeeper of all science on DU

of all psychiatry, of all things mental illness.

If Donald Trump doesn't have NPD I will eat my bedspread.

[HuckleB]

139. Way to double down.

This isn't about Donald Trump.

[womanofthehills]

136. You are always rude

You cannot argue without putting the other person down. Everyone is wrong but you - your research is the "only research." You always make a point to try to belittle the other person.

[HuckleB]

142. Hypocritical much?

All you ever offer are personal attacks. You have never justified any stance to date.

[Dickster]

64. Lots of bad info here

I'm a farmer. I'm not going to defend GMO's. I do not use them anymore. I plant conventional corn and soybeans. The issue here has nothing to do with GMO. The Neonicotinoid pesticide is used to treat seed corn. It is a powder that is applied to the seed before the seed is bagged for sale. The seed corn is treated to prevent soil born insects from chewing on the seed after it is planted. This can be a big problem for corn growers if they plant untreated seed. The problem occurs during planting. Almost all planters now use either a vacuum or air system to deliver the seed to the furrow. The dust from the treated seed is picked up in the exhaust of air out of the planter. This dust is picked up by the wind or deposited on the ground, where bees can come in contact with it.The reason this pesticide is used is because it was deemed safer for humans than the old pesticides used 15 years ago. Obviously, bees do not tolerate it well. We either need to go back to the old pesticides, or get rid of the air delivery type planters. There are planters that use older technology that are just as accurate as the newer ones

[Ghost in the Machine]

82. Thank you for your post, Dickster. I just read a little while ago where the bees are dying

from drinking contaminated water from the pesticide. I am going to do some further research for myself.

I appreciate your input....

Peace,

Ghost

[womanofthehills]

133. First the bees......

[jeff47]

106. Why the switch to the newer planters then?

Lower maintenance or something similar?

[Enthusiast]

71. Kicked and recommended!

[HuckleB]

72. Why?

[Enthusiast]

80. To call attention to the tragedy.

[HuckleB]

86. What tragedy?

This is a fake story debunked two years ago.

[MFM008]

138. quit shilling for Fking Monsanto

many of us don't care we don't want GMOS and we don't want sprays killing our bees and birds and butterflies, all else said is not important. I don't want this crap on my food or my kids. PERIOD. END of discussion.

[HuckleB]

141. Quit shilling for anti-science ignorance.

You keep banging your head because you don't understand the first thing about the topic. You have been conned, and you are going to hurt others because you won't bother to challenge your ludicrous preconceptions.

[Igel]

73. When did they plant corn in Ontario?

A few weeks ago. So mid-late February.

Average high temps there broke records. Meaning they approached 60 degrees F.

(1) I can understand why a systemic pesticide like neonics were applied. Often they're absorbed by the plant (or produced by them).

But bees?

(2) The bees would have to consume the pollen.

Query: What variety of corn produces tassels within a few weeks of being planted at temperatures below 60 degrees F? If the neonics are produced by the plants, then they're not available to the bees. Full stop.

If they're applied overall, to everything, then the GMO status of the corn is simply irrelevant, however much the writer wants us to infer and consequently believe that there's relevance lurking someplace. Full stop.

Can't think of a third option.

(Either this guy's a simpleton or manipulative. Either way, why does he deserve anything other than mockery?)

Most colonies collapse and bees die off late in the winter. Gee, it's late in the winter. Could we be looking at a bit of post hoc reasoning?

[HuckleB]

76. The story is actually from 2014.

And it gets into the territory you explored from there.

[Orrex]

74. Neonicotinoid are preventing honeybees from using their cellphones

[Dr. Strange]

90. Honeybees shouldn't be using cellphones anyway.

Cellphones interact with vaccines to cause autism.

[LeftyMom]

92. That makes no sense. Corn is planted in early May in Ontario.

I can't even plant corn in California "weeks before" February 27.

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/1planting.htm

Looking up winter bee losses in Ontario beekeepers seems to have a consensus that the major problem is mites, which would be an issue when the bees are confined in close quarters rather than out foraging in the warmer months.

Seriously, this is the sort of nonsense that's only persuasive if you've never even kept a garden.

[Gormy Cuss]

152. But it was GMO corn!!11!!11

The headline was a giant clue that it was buzz word sensationalism but yeah, planting corn in Canada in February isn't a good idea --- not even starts in a greenhouse.

[Kali]

95. I sure hope that when the PTB finally kill off public eduation

at least a few of those private "schools" will be science academies, because we have obviously failed in that arena to date.





corn planting in Ontario in February, bees pollinating corn - GMO corn at that, people that think GMO crops need more toxic and more volumes of pesticides...


there are things wrong with conventional food production, but when opponents/activist have to resort to ignorant scare tactics and don't either bother to learn the science or intentionally mislead people they have no credibility.

[LisaM]

108. Who writes these headlines?

It essentially says the bees planted the corn themselves and then dropped dead. From sheer exhaustion, I suppose?

[Ghost in the Machine]

120. It is an apparently misleading headline, but is the one that went with the story.....

I have found out that the story is over 2 years old, but the article I read and linked to said it was just printed a couple of weeks ago. The headline is really about the only place that the corn is mentioned. The content focuses more on the use of insecticides that are killing the bees, who come in contact with it by drinking contaminated water from runoff.

Sorry for the confusion the headline has caused, but I didn't write it....

Peace,

Ghost

[LisaM]

123. Not putting it on the OP

I just don't see how these headlines get approved!

[Ghost in the Machine]

127. Thank you, LisaM.... Peace to you and yours.... n/t

[HuckleB]

143. The source is crap.

The OP now knows this, but won't accept responsibility.

The entire story was debunked two years ago, and yet it's being presented here as if it just happened. And look how many people bought it.

[LisaM]

144. I just got a kick out of the ungrammatical headline

I just got a picture in my head of bees planting corn.

[HuckleB]

145. Why am I picturing the opening scene to Bambi?

[LanternWaste]

151. For the same reason I'm picturing an OP martyring itself in snitful righteousness

For the same reason I'm picturing an OP martyring itself in snitful righteousness, calls the majority of posters disagreeing with it "anti-science," that's so full of its own bloated purity as to finally implode in on itself and get locked.

That reason being... we're both petulant children more concerned about winning than in accuracy.

[laundry_queen]

116. Poorly written article that cannot get the dates right

probably reposted from an older article. But K&R. Because WTHeck.

[PatrickforO]

128. This is why it is a really bad idea to politicize genetically modified foods.

When Republicans block labeling restrictions, for instance, it ends up allowing things like this to happen.

And you know what?

If all the bees died, we'd be in really bad shape. We need them, probably more than we need that GMO corn with its attendant Neonicotinoid Class Of Pesticides. It's just so dangerous what we're doing to our world just to turn a profit.

The world is more important than profit.
Bees are more important than profit.
People are more important than profit.

When will we learn?

[pansypoo53219]

146. suicide by greed. + we aint getting a penny.

[countryjake]

148. K&R!

[Iggo]

155. I'm gonna go ahead and give this one a Train-Rec.

Highly recommended, for entertainment purposes only.