Frankenfood
By Catherine Haug, Oct 24, 2017 (Image, right, from Organic Consumers Association, used with permission; photo below from Bug-Guide)
GMO Alert!
When Roundup-resistant GMO crops like corn, soy, cotton and canola started to get sick, Monsanto developed Roundup Ready Xtend cotton and soy, and you can be sure that cotton and canola will follow. This new GMO is resistant not only to Roundup but also Dicamba herbicide. There is much concern that use of this herbicide may be even more troublesome for bees and certain trees.
Three states — Iowa, Illinois and Tennessee — have received complaints that Dicamba may be damaging oak trees. And as popularity of Dicamba grows, its use will spread and increase. Unfortunately, it is prone to drifting and may damage nearby vegetation on which pollinators – like precious honey bees – feed. Not to mention that humans will also be affected when they consume processed food products that contain the GMO crop ingredients, or wear clothing/sleep on sheets made from cotton sprayed with this new pesticide.
Honeybee
How are bees affected by an herbicide? Dicamba drift has stopped vegetation from blooming, which means bees and other pollinators have access to less pollen. Honey production in regions where dicamba is sprayed is down about one-third, and Coy expects to have to move his beehives if dicamba spraying continues
The major foods affected include boxed cereals, cookies, crackers, commercially canned foods and more. Cotton clothing, towels and bedding are also affected.
For more information see the following articles:
- With OK From EPA, Use Of Controversial Weedkiller Is Expected To Double (NPR story)
- A Wayward Weedkiller Divides Farm Communities, Harms Wildlife (NPR story)
- Illegal Herbicide Use on GMO Crops Causing Massive Damage to Fruit, Vegetable and Soybean Farms (Eco-Watch article)
- Latest Major Threat to Bees and Trees (Mercola article)