Glyphosate study finds harm to bumblebees

A new study published in Science demonstrates harm to bumblebees from herbicide use. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides globally, with broad usage in both home and agricultural settings. Debate is ongoing with regard to whether this chemical threatens vertebrates, including humans. However, the nontarget organisms with the greatest exposure are insects, a group that is both essential and seemingly in decline. Weidenmüller et al. looked at the impacts of glyphosate on bumblebees, essential pollinators, and found that whereas environmentally realistic exposure levels were not directly lethal, they did result in a decrease in the ability of colony members to maintain required hive temperatures (see the Perspective by Crall). Such nonlethal effects can have pernicious effects that lead to indirect decline in this already challenged group.

In 2018, another study demonstrates that Roundup (glyphosate herbicide) destorys specialized gut bacteria in bees, leaving them more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria. Read more here. . .

Learn more from this recorded webinar with Xerces Society’s Emily May on Herbicide Effects on Pollinators.