A recent scientific study suggests that bees are significantly disturbed when mobile phones are used in close proximity to the furry critters. The study may shed light on why the bee population is in decline globally.
As bees can communicate through sound, the experiment at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology observed any changes to the noises the insects made when active mobile phones were placed in their hive. The results were quite worrying.
The bees made certain noises associated with a distressed colony as soon as the mobile phones were engaged. Twelve hours later, they still exhibited signs of disturbance. The implication is that sustained exposure to the electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones can eventually cause bee colonies to break up and die.
Clearly, most of us, even beekeepers, tend not to leave our phones in beehives. But it's still uncertain whether bees are affected by phones and masts at greater distances.
Daniel Favre, who conducted the experiments, has published instructions that enable other beekeepers to reproduce the experiment. If you know anyone with a penchant for our highly important hairy friends, and their beehive seems to be emitting cheesy ring tones, you'll know why. It's not clear whether you have to use a Honeycomb device to run the experiment.
It would be unfair to place the blame for the recent severe decline in the bee population solely on mobile-phone users, however. Changes to farming methods and the climate are also thought to have played their part.
While you're musing over the bees' plight, why not enjoy the below video from The Wicker Man remake, in which Nicholas Cage irrationally entreats the furry fiends not to sting his eyes?
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Comments 11
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Anonymous 12 May, 2011 19:05
This is rubbish.. Colonies disappear overnight on thousand acre farms in the middle of nowhere in north america and china.. these are certainly nothing to do with mobile phones.. it's just inconvenient to pursue the pesticide / weed killer / fertilizer arguments.
wizard710 12 May, 2011 19:49
Do you not watch Dr Who?
J4M35 14 May, 2011 18:34
Anonymous is yet another moron, trying ot make excuses for what humans are doing to the planet. The writer of this article seems ignorant too. Bees are not fiends at all. They sting to defend themselves. If you are stung, it is ENTIRELY your fault!
Anonymous 15 May, 2011 01:39
Sounds like J4M35 is just another tree-hugging hippie that is determined to prove that us humans are the cause of everything that goes wrong with this planet. It's not always ENTIRELY your fault if you get stung by a bee. Ever been stung because someone else pissed off a bee hive? Have you hippie? Before you go calling people morons and ignorant, take a look in the mirror. Or, you could just continue to believe the BS from the other hippies you follow because with comments like yours, we can all tell you're a follower.
Anonymous 15 May, 2011 04:28
I'll have to remember to not have my cell phone with me when I'm in the garden next time. last time I was tagged on the chin by the neighbor's bees. It seems that they sometimes target me for no reason, so maybe now I have a clue.
It is much more likely that transmissions from satellite TV could share some of the blame since they transmit to all over.
No doubt pesticides and rough handling are to blame also.
Anonymous 15 May, 2011 09:24
If this is true than colony collapse disorder should be far more prevalent in densely populated areas and should be basically unheard of in sparsely populated areas with limited phone coverage/use. Has anyone looked into where the collapses are and aren't happening? The study had a tiny sample size, I expect CNET to try a little harder to look at the results objectively, rather than just parroting the company line and throwing up a video of nicholas cage.
Anonymous 15 May, 2011 18:44
LEAVE THE BEES ALONE!
Anonymous 15 May, 2011 21:23
cell phones are the reason for the bee decline. The reason bees are in decline is because honey bees were cross bread to have larger throats so they could product more honey. That modification has allowed a mite that prior to the enhanced thraot that could not get in the bees throat can now get in their larger throats and that is what is causing the bee decline. Because honey producers wanted more honey from fewer bees to increase their profit we have this problem. Greed and mans ignorance of intelegent design by nature has caused this problem so nature will make all of man kind pay for their mistakes. No Bees no food!
Anonymous 15 May, 2011 22:00
Now I know how to get rid of beehives free and painlessly. Thanks science!
Grace Aldena 16 May, 2011 06:20
Any ways, the world can no more go with out mobile phones. However, we must find ways how we save the environment in spite of using our gadgets
Anonymous 19 May, 2011 06:44
I haven't seen a bee in 3 years Fairfield county ct.
Somethins up