Scarecrow Man Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Just saw this on google news, thought it was a joke at first, but apparently it's not They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well.The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.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.http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/...icle2449968.ece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 I wouldn't have thought that the radiation emitted by mobiles would generate enough field strength beyond a couple of feet to affect the bees. Not so sure about brain cells though. Now the transmitter masts could be a different of fish, in which case the story should imply that bees are being disturbed by statics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadyassa Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 There is no shortage of bees where I live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Man Posted April 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Certainly no shortage where I live either. Mind you, when I did have a mobile phone, I would get between 1 and 2 bars of service (out of 5) and it would often drop to 0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 It's odd that this topic should just come up. Management and I were only remarking this afternoon how few bees there were in the garden. We have quite a lot of spring flowering things doing their stuff (flowering cherry, flowering peach, plum and other shrubs and plants) but only the odd solitary bee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 We have plenty of bees too......Some of them are enormous!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Another cause of the demise of the honey bee.Varroa mite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 There is a mite around here that mars the growth of bees . It is very dark brown and quite sticky to the touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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