Invasion Caused By Fake News

Canadian goldenrod is praised as the source of healthy honey by fake-news websites and many honey-producers obliged and now Canadian golden root has invaded many countries around the world decimating indigenous flora and fauna.

Image by NatureFriend from Pixabay

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The road to hell is paved with good intentions. When the British brought rabbits to Australia alongside the prisoners they were convinced the rabbits will be much less of a threat. They were wrong.

History is full of similar mistakes and now an Australian-Polish team of scientists described the first-ever invasive species caused by Internet fake-news. It’s about the Canadian goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis) that tends to replace the native species. It’s light seeds that can travel long distances and fast growth make it quite easy. On top of that, the Canadian goldenrod releases chemicals into the soil that get rid of its competition.

Overhyped Honey

Canadian goldenrod became popular after fake-news about honey made from it has incredible healing properties. Goldenrod honey is often recommended to people with kidney problems but fake-news about it being good for many other illnesses is often spread through the Internet.

Magdalena Lenda analyzed scientific publications about the effects of Goldenrod honey and found no convincing evidence of its healing properties. But the unsubstantiated claims continue to spread over the Internet. Considering that in 2002 there were no mentions of its healing properties on the Polish Internet and that in 2018 you could find over 30,000 mentions of its healing properties through Google you can see it spreads very quickly.

The disinformation started the demand for Goldenrod honey and also increased its prices. From 2008 to 2018 its price increased to 250 % of the original price. And while its production is rising the demand is rising even quicker. Currently, Goldenrod honey is being produced in 37 countries where the plant isn’t indigenous. The honey makers brought it to foreign places such as Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.

In thirteen countries where Canadian goldenrod already became an invasive species, the scientists found roughly 150,000 web-pages about how to grow it to produce goldenrod, honey.

The Goldrenrod Rush

The effects of Canadian goldenrod can be devastating for local flora and fauna. As the goldenrod replaces indigenous flora this causes indigenous fauna to also disappear as often its lives are tied to the plants. Even the bees themselves that produce the honey suffer from this.

This is because goldenrod only flowers during late summer and autumn. But apart from this short period, the land-only offers 10 % of the sustenance for the bees compared to how it looked before the invasion. And even while goldenrod flowers the bees suffer as the honey from it lacks many important nutrients. Bees that only eat goldenrod honey during the summer and autumn have a ten times higher chance of dying compared to bees that have a balanced diet of honey coming from various plants.

Sources:

• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.13645

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