Honey Bees and GMOs
Honey bees and bee keepers are strongly affected by the introduction of GMOs:
As bees feed on pollen, traces of GMOs can be found in their honey. This has already caused serious problems for Canadian honey exports, where GM pollen of oilseed rape has been identified.
Bees haverst on flowers in a radius of up to 6 kilometers around their hives. This could make them also unwanted “contaminators”, transporting GM pollen over large distances.
Finally, as already discussed in a special session over lunchtime on Thursday, there are controversial discussions and uncertainties about the potential impact of Bt-toxins on bees. This discussion has become especially heated in the context of the devastating bee epidemic dubbed as “Colony Collapse Disorder” (or CCD) in the United States.
Presentations
- Walter Haefeker:
Honeybees and GMOs - Angelika Hilbeck:
Bt-Plants and non-target effects with special reference to honey bees
Problems in facilitating research on environmental effects of GM-crops – Recent experiences - Josef Hoppichler:
Bt-plants as a potential contributing Factor to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) - Hans-Hinrich Kaatz:
Effects of Bt-Maize (Cry IAb) on honeybees