Bee Deaths Linked to Cellphones?
An article in The Independent talks about a theory that possibly explains the mysterious Bee Colony Collapse Disorder. Years ago it was already observed that bee colonies near High Tension Electric Towers behave differently. This has led scientists at Landau University to look at other radiation sources that might disrupt the colony and the ability of bees to home in on their hives. It was found that if a cellphone was used near a colony it could cause CCD.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.
The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.
CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.
Other apiarists have recorded losses in Scotland, Wales and north-west England, but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insisted: "There is absolutely no evidence of CCD in the UK."
The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left" . . . Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.
Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."
** UPDATE! **
An article in the NY Times today points to two other possible reasons for Bee Colony Collapse, the most likely being imidacloprid, a commonly used pesticide manufactured by Bayer, which denies the possibility, and says their pesticide doesn't kill bees. However, French authorities won't allow its use in France after noticing incidences of "Mad Bee Disease" which is similar to what's happening in the US.
** UPDATE! **
Researchers at UCSanFrancisco have noted that there's a fungus, Nosema Ceranae, that has been common in all collapsed bee colonies studied by UCSF. Though by no means conclusive, since there are also virii, insecticides and other pathogens that have been noted, and not every colony containing the fungus has collapsed, it could be one of the main contributors to this mysterious devastation.
More Resources:
Colony Collapse Disorder- Do we harvest what we sow? (PDF) Thanks, Suzie!