Scientist Proposes Glycine as a Possible Antidote for Honeybees Impacted by Neonicotinoid Pesticide Poisoning
Important Note: In mid-May of 2010, Dr. June Kasminoff, a teaching professional chemist, contacted us regarding her hypothesis that glycine might act as an antidote for neonicotinoid pesticide toxicity in honeybees. She readily acknowledges that the concept needs further testing. Importantly, she noted that if it worked, glycine antidote properties would essentially confirm that neonicotinoids were the culprit for sick bees. Much remains for further testing - but this idea was too powerful not to spread the possibility.
At our request, Dr. Kasminoff provided the following report.
Please note the scientific peer review questions at the bottom of the article.
We urge caution about any work to test this idea - it is conceptual, but nevertheless very intriguing.
Regards,
Kevin Hansen
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Glycine as a Possible Antidote for Honeybees Impacted by Neonicotinioid Pesticide Poisoning
By Dr. June Kasminoff
June 21st, 2010
I am a NYS certified chemistry teacher in Brooklyn, New York, in the USA, and have a Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine. I have a strong interest in bats - and the insects they feed on (see Bat World Big Apple, http://www.batworld.org).
I became interested in the topic [of Glycine] because after the bees started to have trouble there was also a drop in the tree bat population. Today, in addition to the decline in tree bats, over one million crevice-dwelling bats are dead in the United States. I do not claim to be an expert in [the honeybee] field, but I do feel strongly about the need for all of you to take action, and to feed [Glycine] to the bees before it is too late.
[Editorial Note: many people are disturbed by the timing and severity of bat deaths, apparently coincident in timing and location with large honeybee declines].
Imidacloproid is a moderately hazardous pesticide that prevents the action of certain chemical transmitters in the nerves. It does this by interfering with the [Acetylcholinesterase] receptors in the nerve synapses. When it binds to the neurotransmitter, it does not degrade quickly, thereby making its effects long lasting. When it does break down, imidacloprid forms another substance that is also toxic. The biochemistry I will not go into here.
According to the research done by Bayer Corporation, the antidote for this compound is the amino acid glycine. Glycine competes for the binding site with the neonicotinoid pesticides [such as imidacloprid], therefore causing less of the pesticide being able to carry out its binding action.
Amino acids are the basis for life on earth. Glycine is an amino acid that is manufactured in the bodies of vertebrate animals only. Any amino acid that can be manufactured by the organism and does not have to be ingested is called a non-essential amino acid. Any amino acid that must be eaten or ingested is called an essential amino acid.
Bees do not naturally manufacture glycine in their bodies - they must eat it. Therefore, glycine is an essential amino acid for bees. Glycine can be safely fed to the bees by dissolving it in the sugar water that is provided for the bees. I have fed the glycine to mealworms with no harm, and I have fed it to insectivorous bats with no harm. The amount I would administer is enough to saturate the solution with no powder dropping out of solution.
I recommend Source Naturals, 500 mg capsules, glycine. It is a pure glycine and it is the one I have been using, http://www.amazon.com/Glycine-500mg-caps-Source-Naturals/dp/B0031QPX48.
Due to the fact that this pesticide has been found to exist in the soil for over 3 years, feeding the glycine to the bees would need to be maintained for up to 3 years post-pesticide application. If you want to convince yourself, there is a lot in the literature and on the Internet about imidacloprid and glycine. I feel that the glycine will not harm the bees so you all have nothing to lose by trying it.
Dr. June Kasminoff
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Review comments by Dr. Neil Carman:
Four questions:
1. How can you deliver the high grade glycine to most of the bees if it works?
2. Will the bees know they need glycine 24/7?
3. Will the weakened bess be able to reach the glycine in time before they die?
4. What if beekeepers end up using the cheap industrial grade glycine and it does not work due to petrochemical impurities from the sloppy mfg process in the chemical plants?
Dr. Neil Carman
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