Beekeepers stung by invasive plant ‘hoax’

BEEKEEPERS are importing the invasive plant goldenrod after falling for fake news on social media, a study has warned.

Researchers at international universities tracked the progress around the world of tips on planting and caring for solidago canadensis, also known as Canada goldenrod, which is native to t he US but i nvasive in Europe, including the UK.

In the UK the seeds are available to buy from sellers based in the US and North America on online sites including Etsy, ebay and Amazon.

Claims about the health properties of the plant as a “superfood” which can cure kidney disease have led to it being imported into countries across Europe, particularly Poland and Hungary.

But it is widely believed to be one of the worst invasive plants in Europe because of its destructive impact on native wildlife, crowding out wildflowers and decreasing biodiversity.

In the UK it is less common, though the authors of the study in Ecology Letters said beliefs around its health benefits were prompting more people to seek it out.

The team looked at search results for the term “how to plant goldenrod for bees”, “goldenrod honey” and “goldenrod superfood” in countries including the UK, finding tens of thousands of results for each.

They also carried out an experiment testing the survival rates of bees fed solely on goldenrod, comparing this to bees fed on nectar from a mixture of plants and f rom sugar water. They found the survival rates of the bees fed on goldenrod were tenfold lower.