Can you hear me now?

Is the information age killing off honeybees?

Posted by Jerome Woody at 12:21 PM on 16 Apr 2007

Read more about: biodiversity | green living | endangered species | extinction

For a while now, scientist have been scratching their heads over the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomenon in which bees away from their hives never return after going out to collect pollen.

But according to a recent report filed by The Independent, scientists are now considering the possibility that the cause of CCD may be electromagnetic interference from mobile phone networks. From the article:

The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously home-loving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.

This is another frightful example of the hidden dangers people and nature may be exposed to in the continuous use of mobile devices. The jury is still out on the full extent of the correlation, but if the data turns out to be solid, mobile phone radiation may become just as malignant as ~~Myspace~~ carbon generation in ecological influence.

For story: Can you hear me now?
17 Comments | Post a Comment

Just because it can doesn't mean it is ...

I think somebody was "waxing" for a real "honey" of a story but at the end of the day might have been "stung" by the lack of anything meaningful to "comb" through: in short, a "buzzless" article.

Peace and love,
sammie

Onward through the fog

by Sam Wells at 1:29 PM on 16 Apr 2007

It's strange we're not all dead yet...

Radios, microwaves, wireless internet, now mobile phones...it's amazing any of humanity is left to tell the tale so far.

I find it interesting that almost the whole article (and this post) is all about the effects on bees, and only right at the end does it mention the possible repercussions on humans. I guess we've pretty much blown any sympathy we had coming our way.

Most of all when we spend so much time monkeying around with and even using on a daily basis technology that hasn't been fully examined. Do any of us really know what we're doing?

If I share initials with 'Global Warming', is that a sign?

by tico89 at 1:48 PM on 16 Apr 2007

Cosmic Bee Dance

More likely the cosmic ray changes that are the sole contributor to global warming. cf. Svensmark.

by jabailo at 1:48 PM on 16 Apr 2007

when?

When is a technology "fully examined"?

by MarkUK at 1:50 PM on 16 Apr 2007

multiple vs. single causes

Modern bee colonies are under alot of stress from a bunch of different directions: several varieties of mites, fungus, africanized competitors, climate change, and being moved all over the country increasingly often.

Cell phones may be contributing to the problem, but it seems likely that they are, at most, just one more stress on an already stressed system. It's possible, but I think unlikely, that the problem is attributable to a single cause. But that won't stop people from looking for single causes, and overlooking the gestalt impacts of multiple stressors.

by GreenEngineer at 1:56 PM on 16 Apr 2007

True

Climate change, urbanisation, population growth, in other words everything that is happening to this planet at the moment is bound to affect every population. So I agree, yes, it's probably just one small cause. Good to watch out for this kind of problem, though.

If I share initials with 'Global Warming', is that a sign?

by tico89 at 2:04 PM on 16 Apr 2007

native pollinators

My understanding is that native pollinators, while SEVERELY threatened by habitat loss and pesticide use, are not affected by the mysterious illness or collection of problems killing the European honey bees. Is this correct?

The USDA might want to consider a crash program directed toward preserving and increasing the populations of native pollinators. It is another one of those national security issues not discussed enough. FOOD SECURITY!

There should be numerous advantages to using the native bugs, not the least of which would be reliance on a diversity of organisms that operate under different conditions and having different weakness, rather than what is essentially a monoculture of European honey bees. Oh my... I never realized that our monocultures of plants are pollinated by monocultures of insects... double wammy if something goes wrong!

If there are any bee people out there, how difficult would it be to set up a practical breeding program using native insects and designed to selecting for bugs that can tolerate civilization's electromagnetic and chemical onslaught? Is this being done somewhere? I'm assuming the European honey bee is so inbred, much of its genetic diversity has been lost. So best to use local resources for a new program.

by wiscidea at 2:12 PM on 16 Apr 2007

USA

http://www.fortcollinsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_con ...

http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/51194/since-2006-unpre ...

Beekeepers across the U.S. have been reporting via national surveys that their bees are rapidly disappearing

by MarkUK at 2:18 PM on 16 Apr 2007

as though I really need another distraction....

I've though about this before and posted comments elsewhere. I think I'm devoting this planting season to native pollinators. The Feds actually declared June 24-30, 2007, National Pollinator Week. Maybe Grist can present a series of articles on this subject. SAVE THE POLLINATORS!

I have bazillions of lists of bee plants, butterfly plants, turkey plants, et cetera, but could not help Googling the subject once again and found...

www.pollinator.org

Click on their "extensive digital library" and you will find more information than will ever be able to digest... conserving native bees, education, home gardening, farming and ranching, public policy, importance of native pollinators... something for each person to take advantage of.

I think God decided I had too much time on my hands, criticizing other Grist visitors, and put a more important project in front of me. Okay. I've got the message. Focus on personally making a difference. PLANT FLOWERS!

Peace.

by wiscidea at 3:07 PM on 16 Apr 2007

And Where Do Bees Live?

Yep, in the parts of the country least criss crossed by cell phone networks.

Check out my theory at:

http://www.you-read-it-here-first.com/viewtopic.php?t=481 ...

by jabailo at 3:28 PM on 16 Apr 2007
[ Parent ]

In my garden

I've noticed fewer bees the past two years. We have a big, ancient crab apple tree out back (that just lost a major branch during a recent snow storm) that flowers majorly every spring. Until a couple of years ago, that tree would be literally humming during full bloom. No more. There are bees, yes. But not like there was. I treasure bees in my garden and go out of my way to make them feel welcome.

by SMLowry at 4:20 PM on 16 Apr 2007

Save the Native Bees

One of the biggest theats to native bees is the continual onslaught of development in suburban areas. Many people have noticed that the native bees are much less than in previous years. Some of us tried to put out cedar bee boxes to save some colonies but with the parasites in addition to fewer natural plants, they have failed. It is a shame because natural honey from native bees, while not as productive in terms of pints of honey, is wonderful stuff, like fine wine. I wish I could get enough to make a batch of Meade like I did several years ago.

Being on an island with no European bees or Africanized bees, I can attest that the lowly native makes quite a superior honey. Since all the new homes and condos went up, funny coincidence, they have almost vanished. It is a shame. No more Wild Honey Meade for Sammie.

To blame that on electro-magnetic influences seems really strange, when you look at the landscape and see there is little left in terms of native flowering plants, bushes, and trees. Maybe where we don't look, in the uncharted scrublands, a few good colonies are left, if they haven't gotten sick yet, or bred into man-eating machines. It is no coincidence that the "bee experts" caused the problem in the first place.

Save the wild bees if you can. There's lots of resources out there.
/sammie

Onward through the fog

by Sam Wells at 5:46 PM on 16 Apr 2007

Einstein; Mary Celeste; Virgil

One does not usually associate Albert Einstein with expertise in botany, entomology, agriculture or economics. And yet his little throw-away line, that without bees we "have four years of life left" (in whatever context he uttered it), sounds quite credible.

This struck me as a curious paragraph:
<<
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.
>>

It matters very little that I have no idea who in the world Mary Celeste might be, and so cannot appreciate the simile in the first sentence. But the final sentence, about how abandoned hives are shunned by other animals, is fascinating. I would very much like to read more about that phenomenon.

I tend to agree with GreenEngineer, that the reasons for the decline in bee populations are various. Just the other day there was a news item about a new danger for the bees of France: a very aggressive hornet was inadvertently introduced there from East Asia, and has settled in very nicely, making a living by attacking beehives and murdering the bees.

For bee-lovers: The Golden-Age Latin didactic poem "The Georgics" (i.e., "matters of concern to farmers"), by the North-Italian poet Virgil (70-19 BCE), is IMHO the greatest long poem in Latin, greater even than that poet's epic "The Aeneid." The themes of its four books are, respectively: agriculture truly so-called, i.e. ploughing, sowing, etc.; viticulture; animal husbandry; and, finally, bee-keeping. Bees and honey being associated with immortality in a number of ancient cultures, it is ingenious but not really surprising that Virgil ends this prayer of hope for peace in a renewed Italy with the myth of Aristaeus, god of bee-keeping, and his discovery of the spontaneous generation of bees and their hives within the hollowed-out carcasses of large mammals: life from death. But that story contains within it another, very different story, involving a visit to the land of the dead, that of Orpheus and Eurydice, one of the most poignant and celebrated of all ancient myths.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 10:54 PM on 16 Apr 2007

Mary Celeste

The metaphor is maybe more aptly applied to the hive than to the occupants, but it's a compelling one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Celeste

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

by spaceshaper at 3:52 AM on 17 Apr 2007

Not enough native bees was the reason

^

-David Ahlport

by GreyFlcn at 6:46 AM on 17 Apr 2007

can you hear me now?

I also think multiple assaults on the immune system are the problem. Dr Tyrone from the UC system gave a talk here in Duluth MN for the Duluth Greens. His work resulted in years of results that allowed him to give in-depth descriptions of the assaults on frogs from Atrazine which allowed an internal parasite to evince multiple extremities. Inside was a lot worse: the male frogs were being feminized to the extent of producing eggs. He pointed out we are merely higher up the food chain.

Birds as well as bees use the Earth's magnetism to allow themselves to fly home. So are we seeing disorientation of birds? What about sea turtles?
Bumble bees are the sole pollinator of red clover--are they failing to reproduce?

The French have an interesting history of their wine vines--they almost lost their complete winery to an imported pest from America. It was found in the 18th century and for decades almost no progress was made. Eventually the extremely complicated life cycle was identified in total and almost no French wine vines were left. The answer: French vines are now and have been since the parasitic discovery grafted onto American rootstock which survives the parasite. French vines exist in toto in only just a few isolated sites such on islands. You might say they no longer exist.

Such accommodation to crises in the environment take place and after a time almost no one remembers the original reigning natural condition.
Will we wind up with some form of artificial pollination? Quite possibly.

Is it far fetched to say that the humans in the future will have to depend on artificial pollination? Well, after 3 generations will we even know the difference?

by katesisco at 11:41 AM on 18 Apr 2007

an important image

Thanks, Spaceshaper, for the Wikipedia article on the Mary Celeste. It is obviously a meaningful and valuable image, and I am embarrassed not to have recognized it -- though after reading the article, I am inclined vaguely and distantly to recall Mr. Spock likening an abandoned spaceship to the Mary Celeste, in one of the Star Trek episodes that is referred to.

I agree that the image seems incorrectly applied, in the article on bees.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 11:47 PM on 18 Apr 2007

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