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We’re only five minutes into 2023, and the federal government is already up to no good. Our government, a devoted fan of glyphosate (Roundup) — after shamelessly killing bees we rely on for existence by approving and ignoring the dangers of toxic pesticides — has found the solution to declining bee populations . . . a honeybee vaccine.
What could possibly go wrong?
The U.S. government on Wednesday granted a conditional license [ [link removed] ] for a honeybee vaccine raising hopes of a new weapon [ [link removed] ] against diseases that routinely destroy colonies. The vaccine will be used to help fight American Foulbrood disease in bees, according to Dalan Animal Health, the biotech vaccine manufacturer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issues conditional licenses for products that "meet an emergency situation, limited market, local situation, or special circumstance" and are pure, safe, and have a “reasonable expectation of efficacy," according to a memo [ [link removed] ] by the agency.
Just think of it as the “emergency use authorization” for COVID vaccines . . . only for bee vaccines.
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The vaccine maker said [ [link removed] ] this breakthrough vaccine could be used to find vaccines for other bee-related diseases, such as the European version of foulbrood. In other words, this is just the beginning.
“We are committed to providing innovative solutions to protect our pollinators and promote sustainable agriculture. Global population growth and changing climates will increase the importance of honeybee pollination to secure our food supply,” Dr. Annette Kleisier, CEO of Dalan Animal Health, said in a press release [ [link removed] ]. “Our vaccine is a breakthrough in protecting honeybees. We are ready to change how we care for insects, impacting food production on a global scale.”
American foulbrood disease was first recorded [ [link removed] ] in New Zealand in 1877 and then spread worldwide. The disease is caused by Paenibacillus larvae — a type of bacteria that affects bee larvae. According to the manufacturer [ [link removed] ], the vaccine contains "killed whole-cell Paenibacillus larvae bacteria” and is administered by mixing it into queen feed which is consumed by worker bees.
The vaccine is then incorporated into the royal jelly by workers who feed it to the queen. As she ingests it, fragments of the vaccine are deposited in her ovaries. Having been exposed to the vaccine, developing larvae are supposed to have immunity as they hatch.
Allegedly, “pivotal efficacy studies” done by the vaccine maker who stands to profit from its product “indicated that oral vaccination of honeybees may reduce larval death associated with American Foulbrood infections caused by P. larvae,” the company said. However, copies of these studies were not provided for public viewing, and potential adverse effects were not disclosed.
Here’s the best part: “The vaccine is non-GMO and can be used in organic agriculture.”
“In a perfect scenario, the queens could be fed a cocktail within a queen candy — the soft, pasty sugar that queen bees eat while in transit and queen breeders could advertise ‘fully vaccinated queens.’“
In the name of full disclosure, you should know that I am not a beekeeper, but my family is. My grandparents, parents, and sister all have bees — and we’re adding our own beehives to the homestead this Spring. I’m not talking about a few honeybees, either. Growing up, this was our full-scale operation, and we supplied numerous stores with raw honey of the legit variety.
I know enough about bees and vaccines to know this is a terrible idea and could have devastating, long-lasting implications for bees and our food supply. We would never vaccinate our bees. The fact our government would even sign off on such a ludicrous move in the name of an emergency is alarming.
To think that the government will keep a stern eye on this mass experiment and intervene at the first whiff of danger is asinine. Even in the face of lawsuits that have proven otherwise, they have pretended that glyphosate is safe for bees. They’re ignoring the reported injuries of over 1.5 million people and 33,000 deaths attributed to their COVID-19 vaccines and have no problem doing it at the wave of a dollar.
The bees are next.
Hopefully, when they’re finally forced to change course, it won’t be too late.
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