The relationship between Bees and Weeds may not be what you think. Roundup is a glyphosate, which is a herbicide, for weeds. "Glyphosate is not a neonicotinoid. Neonicotinoids are pesticides/insecticides that are used to treat crops against certain insects such as pollen beetles."
(1)
Roundup causes my nose to bleed. "Last year, 17 of the world's top cancer researchers unanimously voted to
elevate the cancer profile of glyphosate on behalf of the World Health
Organization. The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC) now classifies the weed-killer as 'probably carcinogenic to
humans' after the panel of experts reviewed all of the publicly
available research. Following up on the action by the WHO, the state of
California is currently in the process of listing glyphosate as a known
human carcinogen under its Prop 65 law." (2)
Roundup products were not widely used on crops until Monsanto began selling genetically modified seeds that resist the herbicide, not much more than a decade ago. Nearly all corn in the U.S. and most soybeans and cotton have been genetically modified. It is not a matter of helping poor nations increase food production, but the main use is to increase profit. High fructose corn syrup is not sold in the health and wellness department, at least not without an evil superpower mask.
I suppose an examination of the economy and how genetically modifying massive amounts of food is helping farmers and consumers, weighing profits to well being tends to tilt in one direction rather than the other. Thankfully, there seems to be enough carefulness and awareness to overcome plague and famine in the long run. Still, population increase is directly related to ignorance and exploitation.
Which brings us back to bees. Crops and money means battling the bugs. So in the same way that we fight weeds, we fight bugs. It happens in our front yards. (3) Use that all-powerful index finger, squirt squirt, kick back and watch the cosmetically green dead zone dazzle our superficial imaginations.
Farmers are no less human when it comes to getting down on hands and
knees in the heat of day, they're just supposed to be better at it than the average lawn owner. Once again the tides are changing. Gardens are good things. So are bugs and bees, and even many weeds are beneficial, certainly less harmful than Roundup.
Keeping it simple is a good place to start. We do things with centuries of experience. Some things don't change. We learn by creative observation rather than genetic manipulation. Just look around. What is happening? The world is changing. Good things remain the same.
