"Coccinellidae, better known as lady bugs, are a necessary part of our biodiversity and overall food supply. They play an integral role in organic gardening and farming by eliminating many agricultural pests, including aphides and mites, without posing other risk to human health. Ironically, a toxin that was cross-bred with genetically modified crops to be resistant to pests is threatening the extinction one of nature’s most efficient pest controllers.
Monsanto’s herbicide RoundUp, along with Bt toxins that are found in genetically altered crops such as corn, soy, wheat, and others, are lethal to lady bugs. A study conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Institute of Integrative Biology confirmed that Bt toxins cause lady bug fatality. Researchers fed the bugs genetically modified crops and found that the chemicals killed their larvae.
Urge the EPA to reconsider the effects of Bt toxins on lady bugs and that they order new research studies conducted by non-industry scientists, to save native lady bugs from extinction."
