Millions of bees die because of Neonicotinoid pesticides manufactured by Bayer and Syngenta and 94% of GMO corn in US is treated with either imidacloprid or clothianidin pesticides
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that Neonicotinoid class of pesticides and clothianidin adversely affect the immune system of honeybees by promoting replication of a viral pathogen in them.
According to the Italian scientists, a molecule is triggered by Neonicotinoid pesticides that could harm bees’ colony. The researchers discovered that neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin can increase the levels of a specific protein in bees and negatively affects the immune system response in bees and make them more susceptible to be attacked by harmful viruses and pathogens.
The leading author of the study, Francesco Pennacchio and his colleagues found that leucine-rich repeat protein known as LRR in bees could negatively affect the activity of a protein involved in bees known as NF-κB immune signaling. When bees are exposed to neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin, there is significant increase in enhancement of the gene encoding leucine-rich repeat protein that suppresses NF-κB immune signaling.
Researchers found that other classes of neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam also affect the immune system of bees, while insecticides like organophosphate chlorpyriphos do not affect NF-κB immune signaling.
When the researchers infected the bees with a common pathogen known as deformed wing virus, they found out that the pathogen attacks the bees’ immune system when the bees are exposed to neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin or imidacloprid. Although the virus is very common in bees, the bees immune system keeps the virus ineffective and in check.
According to the leading author of the study, Francesco Nazzi “The reported effect on immunity exerted by neonicotinoids will allow additional toxicological tests to be defined to assess if chronic exposure of bees to sub-lethal doses of agrochemicals can adversely affect their immune system and health conditions. Moreover, our data indicate the possible occurrence in insects, as in vertebrates, of a neural modulation of the immune response. This sets the stage for future studies in this research area, and poses the question on how neurotoxic substances may affect the immune response.”
Giant biotech Bayer and Syngenta who manufacture neonicotinoids are spending millions of dollars lobbying to prevent neonicotinoids ban in US and have sued the European Commission for banning these classes of pesticides:
While countries in EU put a three year ban on Neonicotinoid class of pesticides including thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and clothianidin, the US Department of Agriculture fails to ban these classes of pesticides that are killing millions of bees. Keep in mind that the US secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is the former pro-biotechnology governor of Iowa who was awarded as governor of the year by biotech companies.
Giant biotech Bayer and Syngenta who manufacture neonicotinoids are spending millions of dollars lobbying to prevent the ban on neonicotinoids and they have sued the European Commission for banning these insecticides.
These corporations have also posted thousands of fake documents all over the internet misleading everyone that neonicotinoids are perfectly safe and other problems including lack of biodiversity and increase in pathogens are the main causes behind bees’ decline.
Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, DuPont and Dow are lying. GM crops treated with neonicotinoids are related to colony collapse of bees and 94% of US corn is treated with either imidacloprid or clothianidin pesticides:
As a matter of fact, majority of GM corn and soy are treated with neonicotinoid pesticides and recently, more than 37 million bees dropped dead in Canada after large GM corn fields were planted and treated with neonicotinoids. Find out how 37 millions bees have been found dead in Ontario, Canada after planting large GMO corn field treated with neonicotinoid class of pesticides.
Also, despite the false promises of biotech that GM crops will reduce the use of pesticides, the truth is that since introduction of GMOs, the use of pesticides have increased by 500 million pounds.
In fact, according to the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA), 94 percent of U.S. corn seeds are treated with either imidacloprid or clothianidin and as a result, honey bees are subjected to increasingly toxic load of neonicotinoids in corn fields.
More and more studies are showing adverse effect of neonicotinoids on bees’ immune system:
Although Syngenta and Bayer are trying to spread misleading information by placing biodiversity and pathogens as main causes of the bees’ decline, the independent scientific studies have mainly linked neonicotinoids to colony collapse of bees.
In fact, in a study published in the Science Journal, the leading author of the study and the professor of biology at the University of Sussex, Dr Dave Goulson, says that "Exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides, which are essentially a neurotoxin, was affecting the ability of the bees to learn, to find their way home, to navigate, to collect food, and so on, which is hardly surprising if you realize they're neurotoxins. ... What we found, which was I must admit surprising in its extent, was that the treated nests did grow more slowly, but most dramatically, the effect on queen production was really strong. So we had an 85 percent drop in queen production of nests that were exposed just for that two-week period to pretty low concentrations of these pesticides compared to the control nests."
It’s time to put corporate greed aside and ban the use of neonicotinoids that are destroying millions of bees and butterflies:
87% of plants are pollinated by bees and if we fail to do something about the fact that GM crops treated with neonicotinoids are the main reason behind colony collapse of bees, we are going to shoot ourselves in foot and start a chain reaction where many plants and species die as a result.
The scientific community and biologists suggest that if honeybees disappear, we will only have few more years to live since a chain reaction will start to eradicate certain species due to lack of pollination and will effects crops and birds and so forth.
Currently, beekeeper are losing up to 50% of their bee hives and instead of proposing an immediate ban on GM crops and neonicotinoids, our selected officials allow giant biotech including Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer spend billions of dollars promoting and selling their toxic insecticides and GM foods.
The main priority of corporations like Syngenta and Bayer IS NOT to protect honeybees and other pollinators, but to protect their profit from manufacturing neonicotinoids insecticides. Just in 2012, Syngenta’s sales of Thiamethoxam increased and exceeded to more than one billion dollars. How could that be and how could any society tolerate what they do?
Sources:
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/46/18466
http://www.pan-europe.info/News/PR/130828.html
