Monsanto has purchased a research company whose mission is to combat the massive die off of honeybees—a problem blamed in part on the biotech giant’s genetically modified corn.

 

Last fall, Monsanto quietly purchased Beeologics, which is “dedicated to restoring bee health and protecting the future of insect pollination,” by combating Colony Collapse Disorder, according to the company’s website.

 

Since then, beekeepers and agricultural officials in Poland publicly blamed Monsanto’s MON810 corn for killing off thousands of bees. More than 1,500 people demonstrated in Warsaw against the company, and later the Ministry of Agriculture banned MON810 from use on Polish farms.

 

Anti-Monsanto activists point out that the Beeologics website blames other factors for the crisis in the bee world. According to Beeologics, “Various factors such as mites and infectious agents, weather patterns, electromagnetic (cellular antennas) radiation, pesticides, poor nutrition and stress have been postulated as causes.”

 

Honeybees pollinate about 30% of all food consumed and contribute $15-20 billion a year in agriculture revenue for the U.S.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm (by Anthony Gucciardi, Natural Society)

Poland’s Monsanto Action Lays 1000s of Dead Bees on Govt Steps (by Rady Ananda, Food Freedom News)