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Are Cell Phones Killing off Bees?
New research shows a possible link between cell-phone radiation and a loss in honey production among bees -- a side effect that could ultimately threaten our crops.
Posted 6/ 30 10 at 6:15 PM | Business Trends, Technology, International Business, Consumer Products & Services, Telecommunications
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A A AFor years, bee populations have been declining, and a recent study questions whether cell-phone radiation may be to blame.
Last year, bee populations dropped 17 percent in England, according to the British Bee Association, and almost 30 percent in America, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Since the 1980s, the varroa mite has been considered a prime suspect as the killer of billions of bees around the world. It's a parasitic mite, sucking the blood of the bee, and it can also reportedly spread a virus that causes a bee's wing to become deformed. Much time and energy has gone into fighting the varroa mite -- New Zealand, for instance, plans to soon release bees that are genetically resistant to varroa mites.
And while this news doesn't really get the varroa mite off the hook -- or the hive beetle, another pest that threatens our pollinating friends -- the study, conducted by researchers at Panjab University in India, suggests that cell-phone radiation may also be hurting the bee cause.
Researchers fitted cell phones to a hive and powered up the phones for two 15-minute periods each day. Three months later, the honey stopped. The Queen Bee also had trouble with her egg production, and the size of the hive diminished.
There may be reason to sound the alarm. Bees pollinate 90 percent of commercial crops, worth $12 billion in the United States, according to CNN. But almost every country has a thriving beekeeping industry. A lot of money -- not to mention food -- stands to be lost if bees someday die off.
This study could affect how other bee-related studies a perceived. The BBC recently reported on the journal Conservation Genetics, which just released a report about honeybees living in Kufra, Libya -- an oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert. The bees are doing fine because they're isolated from the varroa mite. But they probably do not receive much cell-phone radiation, either.
The report comes on the heels of a recent San Francisco decision to make cell-phone retailers post how much radiation mobile phones are releasing.
The industry's reputation when it comes to potential radiation has come under question over the past few years. In fact, as the theory gains traction, other scientists are taking a closer look. As CNN reported, Andrew Goldsworthy, a biologist from London's Imperial College, has studied the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, and thinks that changing phone frequencies might help cell phones and bees peacefully co-exist. Goldsworthy thinks that the problem with the radiation might be due to the pigment in bees called cryptochrome. They use that to sense the direction of the Earth's magnetic field, which helps them navigate their way back to the hive. If the frequency is changed, that might allow them to use their cryptochrome as nature intended.
Geoff Williams is a frequent contributor to AOL Small Business. He is also the co-author of the book Living Well with Bad Credit.
Last year, bee populations dropped 17 percent in England, according to the British Bee Association, and almost 30 percent in America, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Since the 1980s, the varroa mite has been considered a prime suspect as the killer of billions of bees around the world. It's a parasitic mite, sucking the blood of the bee, and it can also reportedly spread a virus that causes a bee's wing to become deformed. Much time and energy has gone into fighting the varroa mite -- New Zealand, for instance, plans to soon release bees that are genetically resistant to varroa mites.
And while this news doesn't really get the varroa mite off the hook -- or the hive beetle, another pest that threatens our pollinating friends -- the study, conducted by researchers at Panjab University in India, suggests that cell-phone radiation may also be hurting the bee cause.
Researchers fitted cell phones to a hive and powered up the phones for two 15-minute periods each day. Three months later, the honey stopped. The Queen Bee also had trouble with her egg production, and the size of the hive diminished.
There may be reason to sound the alarm. Bees pollinate 90 percent of commercial crops, worth $12 billion in the United States, according to CNN. But almost every country has a thriving beekeeping industry. A lot of money -- not to mention food -- stands to be lost if bees someday die off.
This study could affect how other bee-related studies a perceived. The BBC recently reported on the journal Conservation Genetics, which just released a report about honeybees living in Kufra, Libya -- an oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert. The bees are doing fine because they're isolated from the varroa mite. But they probably do not receive much cell-phone radiation, either.
The report comes on the heels of a recent San Francisco decision to make cell-phone retailers post how much radiation mobile phones are releasing.
The industry's reputation when it comes to potential radiation has come under question over the past few years. In fact, as the theory gains traction, other scientists are taking a closer look. As CNN reported, Andrew Goldsworthy, a biologist from London's Imperial College, has studied the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, and thinks that changing phone frequencies might help cell phones and bees peacefully co-exist. Goldsworthy thinks that the problem with the radiation might be due to the pigment in bees called cryptochrome. They use that to sense the direction of the Earth's magnetic field, which helps them navigate their way back to the hive. If the frequency is changed, that might allow them to use their cryptochrome as nature intended.
Geoff Williams is a frequent contributor to AOL Small Business. He is also the co-author of the book Living Well with Bad Credit.
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Comments (Page 6 of 6)
Without a doubt when things are amiss in nature we can always look in the mirror and know it is human kind that had a hand in the trouble. From the weakened shells of the bald eagle, kepone being found in fish decades after a toxic spill (which was supposed to have sunk and been covered by river silt by now), the extinction of a species, and rivers catching fire due to pollution; the doubts are few about man's role in the distruction of anything that is not man made. Whether a corporation bent on greed, an obsession by a populous for anything new or convenient, or an ignorance of a commerce to maintain its business in a responsible way, the bees are now going the way of the tree frog or countless other extent species. To often our "growth" in this complex environment leaves us bewildered when abrupt changes unfold, we find in retrospect that we did not think through on our actions, and the "growth" was found to cause the abrupt change. I am not a scientist, per say, I do not have the facility to test pollen strands, investigate mite ravages or treatments there of, or see how too much of a good thing (like to much saccharin in lab test will do to a rat) such as cell phone radiation how it will effect a bee population. I was a child when this nation began a technological peak climb to put a man on the moon and to often technological advances have had devastating consequences. And often, technology has been put to the task to correct the mistakes of the past. Without a doubt it will be technology that will find the root causes and possible solutions for one of the world's hardest, noncomplaing little workers. Stop finger pointing and encourage the world's best human minds to come together and come to bear on the global pandemic (whatever the cause) that afflicts our Apis mellifera. As a teacher I would hate to have students question the ceramic apple on my desk and try to explain to those students that it is a representation of a fruit we eat called an apple. And I would hate attempt to explain to those students that teachers use to get apples all the time; but we don't any more because the bees went extinct. As we teach our kids...our actions have consequences. :-(
What a bunch of hoee - geeeez people - stop and use what brain matter you have left - Mother Nature has been "genetically engineering" plants for millenia. One thing that is missing in this conversation is that nearly everyone one has removed the white clover from their yards!! ChemLawn and the need for grass to be uniform and "weed free" has eliminated a huge HUGE source of food for the honey bees. Ever see an old farm yard?? In the late spring its nearly half white clover blooms and full of honey bees - Look at a "pristine" yard thats nothing but blue grass and you won't see a single one. Think people - Think
I've been watching reports for years about the problems with bee-hives dying off. Monsanto has already started a seed bank with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Rockerfeller foundation so everyone has to buy their FrankenFoods seeds....it's documented .The advantages of [Monsanto's] Terminator technology are obvious. Seeds yield only one harvest. Period. This forces farmers (the third world nations) to return to the seed companies year after year to replenish their seed supplies so that they can grow food to feed their people. Within 10 years, this could create a complete monopoly for these seed companies...
Cell phones are, no doubt, a factor in bee elimination, however, the real estate and construction industries eliminate places with/for bee colonies. Use of pesticides and herbicides kill bees and the flowering species of plants that bees harvest nectar from to make honey. Exploitation of bees' honey for human use kills bees by starving them to death. Xero-scaping kills bees, because it eliminates flowering species and water that bees drink during their days of hard work. Without bees, flowering species of plants cannot produce seeds or fruit since bees pollinate plants. Consequently, the bees, other animals, and man, are left without fruit and vegetables. Starvation is an effect of reduced fruit and vegetable production. The whole process is a downward, self-perpetuating spiral to extinction of not just bees, but plants, animals, and man.
Read this statement from the article:
"Researchers fitted cell phones to a hive and powered up the phones for two 15-minute periods each day. Three months later, the honey stopped. The Queen Bee also had trouble with her egg production, and the size of the hive diminished"
Really???
Two guys from India duct tape a cell phone to one hive and they call that reasearch??
What a bunch of crap!
I am an avid gardener....composting and all, on a plot 25 ft. by 30 ft.
Today, I removed all the tomato and squash plants in my garden because of lack of bee visits to pollinate the blooms on those plants. And, for no other reason. Not one bee came to visit my garden this year, therefore I had no tomatos or squash and will probaby get no peppers either.
I have seen years when the bee population was virtually nill, then years when there wasn't enough blooms for all of them to work, there were so many bees. I contribute this to the amount of ariel spraying the big rice farmers are doin in my area.
Cell phone radiation.....I don't think so. Poisoning by crop duster and scary people who hate and fear bees...why of course.
WHO CARES IF CELL PHONE ARE KILLING OFF THE BEE'S. DO ANY OF YOU REALLY THINK PEOPLE WILL GAVE UP THEIR CELL PHONES FOR A BEE. MY SELF I DON'T OWN A CELL PHONE. THEIR JUST A TOY FOR KIDS TO PLAY WITH. IF YOU CAN'T WAIT TO CALL ME UNTIL I GET HOME YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.
Since when do bees use cellphones. And most bee hives are located near crops that they pollenate not near cell trafic areas.
The answer to all these panic concerns is to genetically modify the bees. Have them modified to develop RF-sensitive organs patterned after the iPhone antenna technology. Then whenever they become disoriented, they can simply hold the flower with one of their left legs and the signal will disappear. Think Different. Think iBees.
Just take all the cell phones away from the bees.
If I were a bee and someone strapped a big foreign object onto my hive, I wouldn't make honey either. Maybe they should be given Prozac to counter act the trauma. PLEEEZ.... Waste of money waste of time. Don't be surprised if they strap a big tax on your cell phone bill, blaming cell phone users and cell companies. Hell they can't tax the varroa mites. Anyone know who lobbied for this stinker and how much it's costing American taxpayers?
it is the MOST rediculious thing i have heard since global warming
Part of the problem is the lack of diversity in the diet of the bees.. The beekeepers take them to the farms where they feed only on the crops available. In the wild, they hit any flower that interests them, thus they have a diverse diet and all the various nutrients that they need. Poor nutrition leads to decreased ability to resist disease or other problems.