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Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

phys.org

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Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#11

Post by justrealist »

throwawaay31aq wrote: post #8
rpmisms wrote: post #2

I like when studies show institutional knowledge. Any beekeeper can tell you that RoundUp messes with their hives, this confirms it.

[dead]

US bulk agriculture exports are what keep vast swathes of the developing world from starving. GMOs, herbicides and pesticides are how the US produces immense quantities of cheap food for the rest of the world [1].

I don't really care what the rest of the world whines about, when the US is the country actually keeping millions of the global poor alive.

[1] https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/international-markets-u-s-tr...

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#12

Post by gus_massa »

throwawaay31aq wrote: post #8
rpmisms wrote: post #2

I like when studies show institutional knowledge. Any beekeeper can tell you that RoundUp messes with their hives, this confirms it.

[dead]

>> An average of almost 130 pounds of glyphosate herbicides were sprayed per square mile in U.S. counties.

Is this the weight of pure glyphosate, or it includes the solvents like water?

Wikipedia says that the density of glyphosate is 1.7 but they have no units. Let's assume it's g/cm^3 (the density of water is 1g/cm^3, so it's a good guess.)

From https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=130pounds+%2F+%281.7g%2... this is 0.00001mm ~= 0.0000005 inches .

130kg sounds like a lot, but it's actually that a square mile is very big.

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#13

Post by miguelazo »

justrealist wrote: post #11
throwawaay31aq wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[dead]

US bulk agriculture exports are what keep vast swathes of the developing world from starving. GMOs, herbicides and pesticides are how the US produces immense quantities of cheap food for the rest of the world [1]. I don't really care what the rest of the world whines about, when the US is the country actually keeping millions of the global poor alive. [1] https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/international-markets-u-s-tr..…

No. The US (and European) ag subsidies are what fuel overproduction, undermine local production and markets in other countries, creating dependencies and poor diets.

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#14

Post by justrealist »

miguelazo wrote: post #13
justrealist wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US bulk agriculture exports are what keep vast swathes of the developing world from starving. GMOs, herbicides and pesticides are how the US produces immense quantities of cheap food for the rest of the world [1]. I don't really care what the rest of the world whines about, when the US is the country actually keeping millions of the global poor alive. [1] https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/international-markets-u-s-tr..…

No. The US (and European) ag subsidies are what fuel overproduction, undermine local production and markets in other countries, creating dependencies and poor diets.

Ah yes. If only the US didn't sell food to subsaharan Africa, they'd learn to pull themselves up by their bootstraps! It's really the handouts that makes them dependent on the US government.

The horseshoe theory of politics truly explains a lot.

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#15

Post by vixen99 »

idiotsecant wrote: post #6

There are applications where glyphosate is perfectly appropriate. The issues with it arise when A) farmers use it as a crop dissicant in large quantities to make their crops cheaper to harvest, outside the spec of the product and B) when it's used in unsuitable soil, temperature, and humidity conditions. In the right conditions it has a half life of a few days and will be completely inert in a couple of weeks. This i…

Rational decisions demand access to all necessary information. Thus one might ask if the impairment described is restricted purely to bumblebees? Do we know? What is it that's so special about bumblebees as against other organisms such that they would be immune to 'just a chemical'?

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#16

Post by jonhohle »

shortlongterm wrote: post #9
throwawaay31aq wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[dead]

It's easy in America. As soon as your industry becomes big enough you can afford to petition (lobby) the government to write regulations that favor your busines in your industry. Fortunately any American can petition their government. Collectively we could hire our own lobbyist to write better laws (and regulations).

Maybe we should all dedicate a percentage of our income to hire lobbyists that would represent our interests to the government /s

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#17

Post by FrustratedMonky »

idiotsecant wrote: post #6

There are applications where glyphosate is perfectly appropriate. The issues with it arise when A) farmers use it as a crop dissicant in large quantities to make their crops cheaper to harvest, outside the spec of the product and B) when it's used in unsuitable soil, temperature, and humidity conditions. In the right conditions it has a half life of a few days and will be completely inert in a couple of weeks. This i…

A - Doesn't sound like enough advantage over disadvantage.

B - Sounds like it would need regulation? Who is making sure farmers are using it in this manner?

It isn't just bumblebee impairment. Entire colonies die. Bumblebees are needed to pollinate a large percentage of our food -> Hence not a "rational decision".

TO say nothing of impact on humans, and the half life in water runoff.

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#19

Post by mistrial9 »

justrealist wrote: post #11
throwawaay31aq wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[dead]

US bulk agriculture exports are what keep vast swathes of the developing world from starving. GMOs, herbicides and pesticides are how the US produces immense quantities of cheap food for the rest of the world [1]. I don't really care what the rest of the world whines about, when the US is the country actually keeping millions of the global poor alive. [1] https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/international-markets-u-s-tr..…

> I don't really care what the rest of the world whines about

thank you for clarifying your point of view so well

Re: Study shows glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees

#20

Post by bozhark »

jonhohle wrote: post #16
shortlongterm wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy in America. As soon as your industry becomes big enough you can afford to petition (lobby) the government to write regulations that favor your busines in your industry. Fortunately any American can petition their government. Collectively we could hire our own lobbyist to write better laws (and regulations).

Maybe we should all dedicate a percentage of our income to hire lobbyists that would represent our interests to the government /s

And call them politicians?
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