Mobile Phones To Blame For Disappearance of Honey Bees
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The growing use of mobile telephones is behind the disappearance of honey bees and the collapse of their hives, scientists have claimed.
Their disappearance has caused alarm throughout Europe and North America where campaigners have blamed agricultural pesticides, climate change and the advent of genetically modified crops for what is now known as ‘colony collapse disorder.’ Britain has seen a 15 per cent decline in its bee population in the last two years and shrinking numbers has led to a rise in thefts of hives.
Now researchers from Chandigarh’s Punjab University claim they have found the cause which could be the first step in reversing the decline: They have established that radiation from mobile telephones is a key factor in the phenomenon and say that it probably interfering with the bee’s navigation senses.
They set up a controlled experiment in Punjab earlier this year comparing the behaviour and productivity of bees in two hives – one fitted with two mobile telephones which were powered on for two fifteen minute sessions per day for three months. The other had dummy models installed.
After three months the researchers recorded a dramatic decline in the size of the hive fitted with the mobile phone, a significant reduction in the number of eggs laid by the queen bee. The bees also stopped producing honey.
The queen bee in the “mobile” hive produced fewer than half of those created by her counterpart in the normal hive.
They also found a dramatic decline in the number of worker bees returning to the hive after collecting pollen. Because of this the amount of nectar produced in the hive also shrank.
Ved Prakash Sharma and Neelima Kumar, the authors of the report in the journal Current Science, wrote: “Increase in the usage of electronic gadgets has led to electropollution of the environment. Honeybee behavior and biology has been affected by electrosmog since these insects have magnetite in their bodies which helps them in navigation.
“There are reports of sudden disappearance of bee populations from honeybee colonies. The reason is still not clear. We have compared the performance of honeybees in cellphone radiation exposed and unexposed colonies.
“A significant decline in colony strength and in the egg laying rate of the queen was observed. The behaviour of exposed foragers was negatively influenced by the exposure, there was neither honey nor pollen in the colony at the end of the experiment.”
The honey bee population had better start praying to their Honey God, because humans are not quitting their mobile phones. When the honey bees have died out, it will be the human’s turn to do the praying as the fruit and vegetable population follows the bees into extinction and that just leaves us, for a little while.
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Everything from high-tension power lines to a virus has been blamed for the disappearance of the Bee (although this one isn’t going anywhere anytime soon), so I still get the distinct gut feeling they don’t really know what is behind it.
I think the “electropollution” kind of set my baloney-meter into the red.
I’m just the messenger here, didn’t meant send your baloney meter into overload, but it’s good they are looking the loss of honey bees.
I reckon eventually the general conclusion will be that all of those factors, including some they haven’t thought of yet, led to the demise of the honeybee. Unless they find another way, as efficient, of cross-pollination, that is…without it, there won’t be anyone to bother with the question anymore.
I’m in total apocalyptic mode lately, eh? I’m starting to depress myself now.
Orange has a lot to answer for…T-Mobile on the other hand…
Look. If a Bee has an Orange phone it’ll lose the signal – just like the wifey – and get lost somewhere.
If Bees had the sense to use T-Mobile like me than they’d always have a signal and never get lost.
Should I really have another vodka?
Last week I was spreading pine straw (a southern flower bed and shrub weed stopper) under the canopy of a blooming Crepe Myrtle, all I could hear was a constant humming, the Myrtle was full of bees. I’m not knowledgeable enough to know what type they were, no bumble bees though.
That is very interesting! I am agreeing with the other scientists about the prevalence of pesticides causing immune-system issue in the bees so they become more susceptible to disease. But the cell phone thing explains better why some hives might not be ill, but just failing to thrive.
In years past, I would never attempt to cross a patch of clover barefoot. There were too many honeybees to negotiate it safely. Sadly, I have hardly seen any honey bees since 2004. We do have carpenter bees, bumblebees, cicada killers, wasps of all kinds, a variety of odd flies. All of these must have stepped into the niche. My flowers and vegetables are doing fine.
Yesterday I was out barefoot for 2 hours in an enormous clover patch without even glancing down at my feet a single time. Breaks the heart.