No Threat from Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids. Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, on Senecio nemorensis, Shadow Candlestick, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Anyone who's ever dealt with Cattle and Horses knows about the threat of members of the Senecio family in their fodder. In the field, Our Farm Animals will avoid eating these often brightly colored plants, but they may be unaware of them in dried fodder (e.g. hay bales). The threat is dire, and Horses, for example, will die a terrible death after ingesting Senecio ssp!
Humans don't eat these plants, but sometimes do use them medicinally. An overdose can have bad effects harming your liver by so-called unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
So I've wondered how Bees cope when they gather pollen and nectar from Senecian plants. Apparently research has relatively recently demonstrated that Bees themselves are not seriously affected by pyrrolizidine. But tiny quantities of that poison have been found in Honey for Human Consumption. Not to worry though; the threat is only in consuming gallons and gallons of that Sweet Stuff. Which brings to mind ancient Seneca's dictum that nothing contributes more to moderation in all things than frequent reflection on the brevity and uncertainty of life.
And anyway in the context of our photo, I don't know of anyone who eats Bumblebee Honey...
No Threat from Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids. Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, on Senecio nemorensis, Shadow Candlestick, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Anyone who's ever dealt with Cattle and Horses knows about the threat of members of the Senecio family in their fodder. In the field, Our Farm Animals will avoid eating these often brightly colored plants, but they may be unaware of them in dried fodder (e.g. hay bales). The threat is dire, and Horses, for example, will die a terrible death after ingesting Senecio ssp!
Humans don't eat these plants, but sometimes do use them medicinally. An overdose can have bad effects harming your liver by so-called unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
So I've wondered how Bees cope when they gather pollen and nectar from Senecian plants. Apparently research has relatively recently demonstrated that Bees themselves are not seriously affected by pyrrolizidine. But tiny quantities of that poison have been found in Honey for Human Consumption. Not to worry though; the threat is only in consuming gallons and gallons of that Sweet Stuff. Which brings to mind ancient Seneca's dictum that nothing contributes more to moderation in all things than frequent reflection on the brevity and uncertainty of life.
And anyway in the context of our photo, I don't know of anyone who eats Bumblebee Honey...