Study suggests honey killers could be responsible for death of honey bees

Are honey bees fatally "stung" by a type of weed killer?

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin recently discovered that bees "lose some of the beneficial bacteria in their intestines and are more susceptible to infections and death by harmful bacteria" when they are exposed to a popular herbicide called glyphosate.

A study, published this week in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," describes the method used by scientists to draw this conclusion.

"Researchers exposed bees to glyphosate at known levels in crop fields, yards and roads. The researchers painted the backs of the bees with colored dots so they could be followed and recaptured later. " UT Austin said in a statement.

Glyphosate was found to have "significantly reduced the healthy intestinal microbiota" when scientists took care of three days.

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The study examined how bees were affected when they were faced with a type of pathogen called Serratia marcescens.

"About half of the bees with a healthy microbiome were still alive eight days after exposure to the pathogen, whereas only about one tenth of the bees whose microbiomes had been altered by exposure to the herbicide were still alive, "says the school.

Erik Motta, a graduate student who co-directed the project, called for improved protocols.

"We need better guidelines for the use of glyphosate, especially with regard to bee exposure, because at the moment, the guidelines assume that herbicides do not harm bees," she said. he said in a statement. "Our study shows that this is not true."

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The school says that glyphosate may kill "bees indirectly".

But Monsanto – whose Roundup product contains the herbicide – has denied that glyphosate is harmful to them.

"The claims that glyphosate has a negative impact on bees just are not true," said a spokesman for the company at The Guardian. "No large-scale studies have found a link between glyphosate and the decline in the bee population."

The representative added, "More than 40 years of strong and independent scientific evidence shows that it does not pose unreasonable risks to humans, animals and the environment in general."