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