Study: Roundup Weed Killer Could Be Linked To Widespread Bee Deaths

Study: Roundup Weed Killer Could Be Linked To Widespread Bee Deaths Enlarge this image toggle caption Vivian Abagiu/College of Natural Sciences at University of Texas in Austin Vivian Abagiu/College of Natural Sciences at University of Texas in Austin The controversial herbicide Roundup has been accused of causing cancer in humans and now scientists in Texas argue that the world's most popular weed killer could be partly responsible for killing off bee populations around the world. "We need better guidelines for glyphosate use, especially regarding bee exposure, because right now the guidelines assume bees are not harmed by the herbicide," Motta, the graduate student who led the research, said according to the university. Sponsor Message According to the report in the journal, the researchers focused on honey bees and used "hundreds of adult worker bees from a single hive" and treated them with varying levels of glyphosate. "Native bumble bees have microbiomes similar to honey bees, so Moran said it's likely that they would be affected by glyphosate in a similar way," notes a release from the University of Texas at Austin.