Terrymac Loc: LONDON U.K.

That's done Jim.

Dolmen

I'm in SW MI.Have contact with my local Nature reserves, (Sarett,Fernwood Gardens,Kalamazoo Nature Center,to name just a few.All have seen a marked decline in overall populations.
Hoping it was just a bad year.Take care.Cheers,John.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Do away with Roundup and watch your grocery prices double.

Dolmen

DDT,was banned,that worked well.If groceries did increase,people may be a little more aware of the whys!
Enjoy your retirement.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

A milkweed flower.

Jerry M

Jim, Thanks. It just made me curious because I deal with environmental policy and the Endangered Species Act for a living and was struck by the far-reaching conclusion that “…all signs point toward Monsanto as the main culprit.” Some quick research confirmed that, in fact, the monarch butterfly is under stress world-wide which could be caused, in part, by the eradication of its nesting plant, the milkweed- and Monsanto is the manufacturer of Roundup which kills the milkweed. But that is about where the facts stop on that issue. You then managed to reach the conclusion that “a key link in our food chain is under threat.” Pretty far reaching! It didn’t seem like a logical jump and it sounded like the typical hysteria that environmental groups do for fundraising, so I thought I would ask what you meant. Thanks for the response --and I have no doubt you believe what you are saying.
I will admit that the Monarch is beautiful and we should be concerned if it is indeed in “grave danger” and “on the verge of being a relic of history.” Especially if we know what is causing its demise, right? In truth, the language you used, or copied from the site, was a pretty good tip-off. One could just substitute “polar bear” or “harp seal” and have the same heart-wrenching sense of dread about the loss of a beautiful species. I could be moved by that plea, if it is true-- and if I knew who circulated the petition. Your assertions seemed a little hyperbolic and the source was apparently solely from the link you supplied. I realized: I have heard that story before.
So, just out of curiosity, I did a little research on SumOfUs.org, only to find that this “Monsanto Petition” is just the latest in a series of hysterical campaigns they have undertaken. I had never heard of the organization before but just a little research quickly showed that they are a fairly new part of the liberal, anti-capitalist, professional left (read that socialist/Marxist/anti-capitalist left) that trades on crisis after crisis--with or without facts or truth to substantiate their claims. Their website describes the organization thusly: “SumOfUs is a movement of consumers, workers and shareholders speaking with one voice to counterbalance the growing power of large corporations.” In short, they are anti-corporate political activists. Monsanto is just the latest in their anti-corporate attacks. (By the way, I know nothing about Monsanto and don’t have anything to do with them.)
As of March, 2012, the SumOfUs’ list of corporate criminals included: Apple, Starbucks, Novartis, Walmart, Carlsberg, Verizon, Microsoft, Google, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Yoplait, Lowes, Trader Joes and Johnson & Johnson. Each of these groups committed various mortal sins (against “workers,” animals, the rain forest, the climate and God knows what else), for which SumOfUs started a campaign doing exactly what you are assisting them in doing with the monarch: Pulling on some heartstrings and getting people to “sign petitions” and send their names and email addresses to them –which they WILL use for fundraising purposes. What you don’t know (but you will soon) is that they are using you, and the other UHH members who gave them email addresses, to support their “green mail” (like black mail) of major corporations. And you will be hearing from them.
Who are they? One excellent (and obviously critical) description of the leadership of SumOfUs says: “It reads like a big tub of dirty laundry, the same names that are continually recycled from one group to another, churned over and over again under a multitude of NGO names that just keep expanding and growing like a cancer.” These people come from and return to the Soros Foundation, the Tides Foundation, Moveon.org, 350.org, OxFam, Blue State Digital, Organizing For Action, to another of George Soros’ organizations called New American Dream and on, and on. They are the non-profit merry-go-round collecting email addresses and donations from unwitting people like you and children who want to save (fill in anything warm, fuzzy and pretty).
Any of you UHH readers that signed the so called “petition” to Monsanto will soon be receiving fundraising requests from them and dozens of other leftie anti-corporate, socialist groups, some mentioned above.
And Jim, there are some poor victims out there--- but they’re not the beautiful monarch butterflies that we all love. They are you and the other UHH readers that believed what you read and signed the petition to be on the donor list for some poor butterfly that they don’t really give a damn about. As soon as they wear this one out, they will move on to the next crisis and forget about the monarch. Don’t send them any money. I suggest you put them on junk mail as well as be a bit more discerning about what you put your name and email address on. And in the future, do a little due diligence on the groups you give your email address to. Any questions?

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

And monoculture from Monsanto and killing our bees and non-reproducing seeds, Monsanto is evil. But we must begin somewhere, consider it done.

Biologist Loc: Otis Orchards Washington

Before you jump on the anti-Monsanto bandwagon, first understand that Roundup is an herbicide, not an insecticide.

It is rated as virtually non-toxic to animal life by EPA. As a perspective, Roundup is hundreds of times less toxic than table salt or aspirin.

Roundup is used on agricultural crops to control weeds that are damaging to the crops. Certainly if milkweed is present in the corn or soybeans it would be killed by Roundup. Conversely many other herbicides also kill Milkweed and since farmers are growing corn or soybeans then no matter what is used, even tillage or hand-pulling would target Milkweed.

The Monarch Butterfly situation is being studied and will undoubtedly be a complex issue. Part of this will certainly be loss of habitat. Our world population continues to grow and many areas where Milkweed plants used to grow are now someone's front yard, a shopping center, a highway, or other non-native site.

Perhaps we will see Milkweed introduced in habitat restoration sites. Perhaps even in flower gardens.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

DDT is a pesticide, which kills insects; Roundup is a herbicide, which kills weeds. There is quite a difference in the two, obviously.

Jerry M

Jim, you got me interested in the bees too. You brought up the issue in your reply of bees being under a threat and how all of these little critters (bees butterflies, etc.) are indicators of the health of our ecosystem. Well, I have read a bit about the bee decline issue because I have a friend who is an apiarist (bee keeper) who has managed to keep me abreast of the bee decline phenomenon.
Yes, bees are dying (or are not reproducing) and this has caused a phenomenon being experienced world-wide known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). At present, the exact reason for it is unknown. For example, bees have historically suffered from huge losses in population recorded as early as 950 and 1443 in Europe, 1905 in the U.S., 1906 (Europe again), and 1995 in the U.S. in Utah. We have seen that a large number of factors can produce CCD-like symptoms. We have also seen that CCD is not new: CCD-like symptoms have been known to beekeepers for more than a hundred years but are sufficiently infrequent that when symptoms are severe, beekeepers become concerned that there is something new afflicting their bees.
In truth, it could be any of, or a combination of, several possible factors. The problems could be related to parasites, pathogens, in-hive chemicals, immunosuppression problems, agricultural chemicals, climate issues, stress from geographical relocation and a myriad of other things. Very recent studies have suggested that Zombie flies (Apocephalus borealis) may be overtaking huge areas of bee habitat and killing them by injecting their larvae into them.
Also, another theory is that it could be a simple matter of economics causing, or contributing, to the CCD. Since the price of honey is so high, rather than feeding the bees the leftover honey, apiarists have been selling the honey at the end of the summer and instead, feeding their bees refined sugar over the winter. It doesn’t make economic sense to feed them honey, or so it seemed. Unfortunately, the refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are not honey and they do not provide the same nutrition for the bees as honey. They have a different PH and they lack the enzymes and over 8,000 different micro-organisms recorded living in the “bee bread” which is normally the winter food for the hive. These are the same health benefits (including supposed immune response additives) you and I pay for to have fresh honey. Consequently, the bees do not get the same nutrition with HCFS. And perhaps most importantly, when you change the PH in a bee hive, it affects the finely balanced world of the microorganisms, and weakens the colony. Also, when they track pesticides and fungicides into the hive with during summer pollen gathering, that too can affect the microorganisms and the PH the honey. All of this can serve to affect the immune suppression systems and make them more vulnerable to all outside elements including pesticides or fungicides.
No clear answers here. Just don’t blame it on anyone yet—at least until some more facts are in. And don’t sign that petition!!!!

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

All that accepted Monsanto will starve the planet in the guise of feeding the planet. Monoculture will starve the planet. Even Einstein said bee colony collapse would end humanity. Non-reproductive seed is pure greed and will starve the third world.

http://www.energygrid.com/ecology/2010/03po-colonycollapse.html

http://gmo-journal.com/2009/09/24/is-bee-colony-collapse-disorder-linked-to-gmos/

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

All you Monsanto/Roundup haters need to read Jerry M's post. Maybe then you'll understand what's really going on.

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

Read the two above links re: Monsanto GMO insect resistant plants

James Shaw

Terrymac, Great! Thank you.
- Jim