GM  AND  BEEKEEPING

        This note is intended for beekeepers and those connected with bee
ecology.  I urge assiduous promulgation of this core information.

        Genetic modification (GM), also called genetic engineering (GE), is
a topic to concern beekeepers.  If bees feed their larvae pollen containing
-  to no good purpose  -  a modified version of a Bt toxin, then plant-GM
might harm bees.  There are many other possible scenarios of harm to bees
from GE plants.  The Cornell expts by Losey et al. showed monarch larvae
severely poisoned by Bt pollen.
        More directly, vague noises have been made about possibly tampering
with bees' DNA in attempt to increase, for example, varroa resistance.
        It is therefore important for beekeepers to be well informed about
the infant technology of GM.

 For this purpose the two best websites are:
http://www.ucsusa.org
http://www.psrast.org


The following new statement is by an actual expert.  He was, for example,
brought to New Zealand recently to consult on GE trees with the Forest
Research Institute and to confer with scientists at AgResearch.

 http://news.gefree.org.nz/patrick-brown-jul-2000.html


R

-
Robt Mann
Mulgoon Professor emeritus of Environmental Studies, U of Auckland
consultant stirrer & motorcyclist
P O Box 28878, Remuera, Auckland 1005, New Zealand  (9) 524 2949