5 ms·

I thought glyphosate killed plants, does it kill insects too?

• Carrok 2y ago
  > "As a result, farmers increased glyphosate use while reducing the use of other herbicides," Swinton noted. "This became particularly concerning for monarch butterflies since their host plants are strongly associated with row crops and their numbers began a sharp decline during the period of glyphosate adoption." It kills the plants where insects happen to live and breed.
• colechristensen 2y ago
  Roundup kills milkweed, a common weed in corn and soybean fields, also used in some other crops. Monarch caterpillars _exclusively_ feed on milkweed. This is not a case of glyphosphate toxicity, but habitat destruction because it does the job on the label well. And folks tend to apply it lots of places it doesn't necessarily need to be used. Heavily farmed areas need to have some more land set aside for biodiversity and better managed to that end. Additionally there are concerns about insecticides affecting monarchs in an entirely different thread, in particular increasingly banned neonicotinoid insecticides.
  • throwup238 2y ago
    > And folks tend to apply it lots of places it doesn't necessarily need to be used. Glyphosate is the easiest way to keep a property clear of plants for fire insurance reasons in California, which is really unfortunate. My family had a big conflict with our neighbor over his use of roundup to clear his land because they were trying to grow a bunch of their own stuff.
    • pfdietz 2y ago
      If he got herbicide on their property a lawsuit would have been justified. If their concern was over slight contamination, not enough to noticeably affect plant growth, then not. It's not like it would have significant effect on human health in that situation, if it has any effect at all.