Bt Crops are Safe for Honey Bees

Genetically modified Bt crops have no negative effect on the survival of honeybees, according to a study published by the online journal PlosOne. The meta-analysis, conducted by a group of American scientists, made use of 25 independent laboratory studies that focused on the effects of the transgenic Cry protein on honeybee larvae and adults. Although numerous studies have been performed on the effect of Bt proteins in honey bees, the short observation time and the low number of replicates limit these researches. By synthesizing the quantitative data obtained in these studies, researchers can greatly increase the statistical power of the experiment. The scientists further noted that BT toxicity to honeybee is very unlikely, especially since studies typically expose honeybees to doses of Cry proteins that are ten or more times than those encountered in the field.

The open access article is available at http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001415