Featured Backgrounders
Below is the complete archive of articles related to this topic, sorted by date.
UK farmers have ‘deep concerns’ over potential EU neonicotinoid ban, survey shows
British arable farmers have deep concerns regarding the European Commission's proposal to ban all outdoor uses of neonicotinoid seed treatments ...
CRISPR may allow us to choose the color of butterfly wings
Only nature can paint the gorgeous colors and patterns on a butterfly’s wings. But scientists said... they have mastered the ...
Syngenta CEO: Sustainability—not whether something is ‘organic’—should be food standard
[Syngenta chief executive Eryk Fyrwald] suggested neonicotinoid pesticides were not as dangerous as was being suggested. While France has confirmed ...
GMOs protect bees by reducing use of more toxic pesticides
[Editor’s note: Michelle Miller is the Farm Babe, an Iowa-based farmer, public speaker and writer, who lives and works with ...
Monsanto targets bee-killing varroa mites through RNA interference
The 11th annual national survey of honey bee colonies was recently released and reports of seasonal honey bee losses across ...
Viewpoint: Challenging claims of a global bee health crisis
[Editor’s Note: Howard Minigh is the President & CEO of CropLife International, a trade association of agrobusiness companies.] First, there ...
Syngenta CEO overseeing ChemChina merger believes introducing GMOs to Europe near hopeless
[Erik Fyrwald, Syngenta’s current CEO], joined Syngenta in 2016, after many years in senior management with US-based chemical companies, most ...
Neonics and bees under the microscope: Foraging benefits of neonic-treated crops outweigh negative effects
Since 2013 the European Commission has restricted the use of three neonicotinoid insecticides as seed dressings on bee-attractive crops. Such ...
Could we control bee-killing Varroa mites by exploiting their genetic vulnerabilities?
Seemingly indestructible Varroa mites have decimated honeybee populations and are a primary cause of colony collapse disorder, or CCD. Michigan ...
Recent increase in honeybee population does not necessarily mean health stress crisis over
Honeybee colonies -- specifically for operations with five or more colonies in the U.S. -- were up in April 2017 ...
Why Scotts Miracle-Gro decided to phase out neonicotinoid insecticides
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. made an unusual move last year when the company announced it would remove a class of insecticides ...
Lab study shows ‘no impact’ of thiamethoxam neonicotinoid pesticide exposure on mature bumblebees
In this experiment, we chronically exposed whole mature bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colonies to field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam (2.4ppb ...
Micro RNA: Genetic suppression might control insect-borne diseases and limit pesticide use
New methods of controlling mosquitos without chemicals include releasing sterile males, spreading confusing pheromones and, most recently, disrupting egg development ...
Kenya to provide farmers with insect resistant Bt cotton seeds in pilot trials
A genetically modified cotton seed variety with high resistance to the Boll worm infestation is due to be released to ...
Central bee health threat—Varroa mite parasite—may be manageable using oregano oil
The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is responsible for the death of millions of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies worldwide. Testing ...
Census shows monarch butterfly population not in decline, but scientists challenge findings, blaming milkweed loss
Monarch butterfly populations have taken a nosedive over the last 20 years, according to researchers who monitor the number of ...
Why hobby beekeepers may present the biggest threat to honeybee health
The much-publicized decline of the nation’s honeybee population is greatly exaggerated, according to the organizers of a new [Indiana] beekeeping ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: Should farmers use vinegar, instead of genetically engineered solutions, to protect crops from drought?
A new study being peddled by anti-GMO activists suggests that table vinegar may be equal or superior to advanced breeding ...
Dannon embraces controversial Non-GMO label for all its products, claiming ‘transparency’
By the end of 2018, all Danimals, Dannon and Oikos branded products for sale in the U.S. will feature the ...
Viewpoint: Greenpeace, environmental activists spread misinformation on honeybees and pesticides
Bloomberg reports some good news: Honeybee hive health has improved and so-called colony collapse disorder (CCD) is less of a problem ...
Antisocial bees could aid the study of autism in humans
A new study reveals that [antisocial bees] share a genetic profile with people who have autism spectrum disorders, which can ...
US honey bee population rose 3 percent in last year as colony collapse disorder concerns ease
The number of U.S. honeybees, a critical component to agricultural production, rose in 2017 from a year earlier, and deaths ...
Viewpoint: Canadian monarch butterfly and bee populations thrive as glyphosate use increases
What happened to the monarchs? The popular story is that genetically modified crops and an evil herbicide called glyphosate (also ...
GMOs are not an either/or debate
On the one hand, GM crops can help us feed poor people in far-flung parts of the world by making ...
House Democrats push for neonicotinoid insecticide ban in next farm bill
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) wants to include a ban on pesticides linked to declining bee health in next year’s farm ...
‘True blue’ chrysanthemum flowers created using genetic engineering
Roses are red, but science could someday turn them blue. That’s one of the possible future applications of a technique ...
UK expected to follow EU policy on neonicotinoid insecticides
Newly proud “environmentalist” Michael Gove is promising to deliver a “green Brexit” which will set global gold standards on policies ...
Quebec’s plan to prohibit neonics and other pesticides upsets grain producers
Grain producers are not digesting the concept of pesticide regulation announced on [July 19] as part of the Quebec Pesticide ...
