A detrimental effect on bees

Does it affect bees? It is a herbicide, blocking an enzyme essential to the life of plants. As such it is safe for humans and animals who do not have that enzyme.

Published material in 2013 stated categorically that bees also lack that enzyme and consequently it is completely safe for them. But recent evidence casts doubt on that conclusion.

The same enzyme, which rejoices in the name 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is found in some bacteria. Is that important? Recent studies indicate that it is.

Our bodies are colonised with bacteria from top to bottom, from the mouth to the anus. The bowel teems with millions of them. It has been stated that humans have more bacterial DNA than human DNA.

Furthermore, it is now believed that many aspects of our general health depend on the health of these inner organisms, the bowel 'microbiota' and its genetic composition, the 'microbiome'.

So what about bees? They also have a microbiota dominated by some eight species of organisms which influence their growth and lower susceptibility to invasion by other bacteria which are pathogenic, not so friendly.

It has been shown that these 'good' germs are affected by glyphosate at concentrations met in the environment and poisoning them causes susceptibility to attack by opportunistic bacteria and increased larval mortality.

This subtle effect on the health of the colony may not be immediately evident to the beekeeper other than as unexplained weakening of the hive.

And there is another, not so obvious effect the widespread use of glyphosate has on the welfare of bees.

We cannot abide weeds; they must be eliminated as competitors in farm crops, as unaesthetic nuisances in parks and gardens.

But bees love flowers whether they belong to what we consider useless 'weeds' or desirable plants.

They will forage on them indiscriminately wherever they are, in the paddock around the apiary, on the way to a targeted floral source or amongst the plants or fruit trees of an agricultural crop.

This wanton destruction of unwanted weeds is just another assault on habitat and food sources of bees.

It is now evident that previous categorical statements about the safety of this herbicide have lost credibility.

Though we humans are still considered safe, it seems that glyphosate does have an effect on bees but we must await further research to reveal just how seriously detrimental that effect is.