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Invasion of the ‘Frankenbees’
Article

Invasion of the ‘Frankenbees’

The Danger of Building a Better Bee

Bernhard Warner
The Guardian, 2018
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9

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  • Scientific
  • Hot Topic

Recommendation

Clothianidin is a pesticide 10,000 times more potent than DDT. In 2008, clothianidin devastated bee populations in Germany when farmers employed it to combat insect infestations in corn. A cocktail of pesticides and other modern threats work together to confuse honeybees, arresting their superb sense of direction, sterilizing the males and disrupting the queen’s reproductive capacity. The result is known as colony collapse disorder (CCD). It’s clear that the world’s bees are in danger. It’s not as clear what to do to save them and the important pollination work they do each year.

Take-Aways

  • Researchers have successfully produced a genetically modified queen bee.
  • Beekeepers fear that agricultural companies will genetically modify their own bees, thereby seizing control of beekeeping just as they have farming.
  • Agricultural corporations are merging, which suggests a weakness in their business model. Future farmers will apply technology, not chemicals.

About the Author

Bernhard Warner is a writer based in Rome. His writing has appeared in Bloomberg Business, Wired and The Guardian.

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