The latest buzz on CBD oil involves mosquitos—dead mosquitos.
New research shows that CBD that people use to treat ailments can actually kill mosquito larvae quite well.
The deets: Hemp leaf extract contains cannabidiol. Street name: CBD. CBD can kill “mosquito larvae from two different strains of the yellow fever mosquito within 48 hours,” according to the study. One of these was resistant to typical insecticides, while the other wasn’t.
Yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, if you want to be scientific) can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro, and (you guessed it) yellow fever viruses along with other diseases. The pest is linked to 54 viruses and two species of parasites. Gross.
Water is the problem: Mosquito larvae are aquatic and often found in standing water. While conventional synthetic insecticides are common, overuse has caused insecticide resistance and other negative environmental effects.
Soundbite: “If you compare the amount of hemp extract needed to kill 50% of the population to other synthetic conventional insecticides, it is on the high side, but when you compare it side-by-side to other natural extracts we have tested in our lab, only a relatively low amount is required to produce high mortality values in larvae.” — Erick Martinez Rodriguez, Ohio State University
More to come on this one, as future studies will try to determine the economic feasibility of using hemp leaves as an insecticide source.
Short Corn Packs a Punch
Dynamite comes in small packages—which can be true with new seed technology. What’s...
Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
University of Illinois Makes Big Mooves in Milk Production
Pump it up: Scientists led by Matt Wheeler at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are...