Editor's Note: Most scientists regard the phenomenon of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) or sometimes honey bee depopulation syndrome (HBDS) to have been a catastrophic phenomenon in the U.S., Canada and Europe from 2006 to this present day. Yesterday, CNN-Europe broadcast a report reviving results of German and recent Chinese research that suggest that cellular telehone transmissions may be the cause of the massive collapse of honey bee colonies. The internet has been rife with these reports since 2007. Scientists argue that much of the related research is flawed. We are republishing below, not in any order of importance, 5 selected reports that offer conflicting opinions. Considering the massive environmental and economic implications and the moneyed interests involved, it is frankly difficult to know what or whom to believe. The interested reader can also conduct an internet search to read much more.

- Les Blough, Editor

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The Crisis
Operation Bee
2006-2010

a. The Crisis

For over 130 million years, bees have played an extremely significant role in our lives19. But lately, they have been dying at staggering rates. Since 2006, nearly one-third of the entire Western Honey Bee population (Apis mellifera) vanished each year in the United States2. It is the worst sudden bee die-off recorded in history; approximately 60% of reported deaths showed symptoms of a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)2. At most, normal bee losses account for 17% of the total bee population, but these numbers are shocking2. Here in Canada, from the winters of 2005/2006 to 2007/2008, bee declines jumped from 29% to 35% of the total national number of commercialized honey bees3. In addition, these die-offs were reported in thirteen other countries including France, Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom8. Even native wild bees across the world are dying at rapid rates31. In effect, bee health is an alarming concern as entire bee species are at risk of extinction. If bees continue to disappear at this rate, it is estimated by 2035 that there will be no more honey bees6.

b. The Causes – Misconceptions

Before educating yourself on the actual causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, it is imperative to know the two most common misconceptions surrounding the crisis. Cell Phone Towers This theory has been disapproved by the physics professor that co-authored the study himself (Dr. Jochen of the physics department of Koblenz-Landau)6. The studies do not indicate that electromagnetic radiation causes Colony Collapse Disorder. According to Jeff Pettis from USDA, beekeepers work in areas that do not even receive cell phone signals and if there are, signals are extremely low to what the study used8. As Colony Collapse Disorder is new, cell phone towers are not.

Genetic Engineering

Many believe that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) can cause genes to cross over to other species. However, this theory has been disapproved by a study performed by the University of Jena (Germany). Scientists discovered that genetically modified corn pollen did not affect bee colonies8. In addition, GMO are not allowed in all countries affected by Colony Collapse Disorder, especially in Europe8.

c. The Causes – Factors

Although something much larger is causing Colony Collapse Disorder, it is important to understand the perfect storm of contributing factors that are collectively impacting the bees. Varroa Mites Since 1987, mites called Varroa destructor exterminate commercial honey and native bees8. They are responsible for transmitting several diseases such as Acute Bee Paralysis, Sacbrood, and deformed-wing viruses. Consequently, 98% of the entire wild honey bee population disappeared, as predicted by Genome Research in 19948. In addition, these mites have become increasingly resistant to miticides, which now require much higher doses in order to kill them. Fungal & Viral Diseases Fungal diseases like chalkbrood and stonebrood and viral diseases such as Nosema Ceranae and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) are responsible for a large portion of bee disappearances. What is most unusual is that most bees experience a combination of diseases31. This indicates that something is suppressing the bees’ immune systems31. Stress & Genes All reported CCD cases indicate signs of stress8. The forceful mass transportation of bees through migratory beekeeping along with malnutrition from monoculture significantly contribute to bee’ disappearances29. In addition, through the Honey Bee Genome, bees already have low immunity and they have small amounts of genes responsible for the detoxification of pesticides29.

d. Pesticides

Various studies are suggesting that sub-lethal doses of neonicotinoids such as Imidacloprids (IMD) are the main cause of CCD. Pesticides are believed to compromise the immunity of bees and make them extremely susceptible to various factors such as diseases31. A study performed by Dr. Marc Colin from the Comité Scientifique et Technique (CST) in France first found that the use of IMD build-up cause mass disorientation in bees11. In 2005, after the suspension of IMD, the bees came back8. Furthermore, in the United States, all 35 states that are affected by CCD are all heavy users of IMD7. However, some policy makers are still refusing to acknowledge these pesticides as the primary cause of CCD.

March 22, 2010 - “After rounds of legal wrangling in federal court, a bee-toxic pesticide may no longer be sold or distributed because it entered the marketplace illegally. Bayer CropScience’s pesticide spirotetramat (trade-named Movento, Ultor, and Kontos) is now illegal to buy, sell, or transport in the United States after NRDC and Xerces Society successfully argued that it was approved through a flawed registration process. Despite the court’s decision, Bayer has been slow to remove the products from circulation.” (NRDC)

e. The Controversy

Despite the sufficient evidence of pesticide toxicity and the progress in pesticide bans, various institutions are very slow at removing these products off shelves and to continue banning these pesticides.

Instead of looking for more complex solutions, we should consider that business interests are blinding some political institutions from banning these pesticides. Specifically, heavy doses used in studies may not link pesticides with CCD, but their sub-lethal doses are the culprit. In particular, pesticides are made by giant corporations with major lobbying power that can easily influence political actions to their own desires8. Unlike France, American chemical industry lobbyists have much more influence over government policy, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)8. According to Al Gore, the USDA is focusing on natural causes, rather than man-made ones13. Nevertheless, the bees are still dying.

Source: Operation Bee

 

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Mobile Phones and Vanishing Bees
The Bee Man
By Mae-Wan Ho
July 2, 2010

The recent boom in third generation mobile phones may be the main culprit for colony collapse disorder in honeybees

Colony collapse a new phenomenon

Bees worldwide have been involved in a disappearing act called “colony collapse disorder” over the past two years [1] (Mystery of Disappearing Honeybees, this series), with little sign of the disease or infestations that have resulted in massive loss of colonies in the past. The bees simply leave the hives and fail to return. Beekeepers and scientists alike are stymied as to the cause of this strange phenomenon. One likely culprit is a new class of systemic pesticides, which are not only sprayed on crops, but used universally to dress seeds in conventional agriculture, and can confuse and disorientate bees at very low concentrations [2] (Requiem for the Honeybee , this series). Another candidate is radiation from mobile phone base stations that has become nearly ubiquitous in Europe and North America where the bees are vanishing; this possibility is considerably strengthened by preliminary findings that bees fail to return to the hives if cordless phone base stations are placed in them.

Simple experiment with dramatic results

Researchers at Landau University in Germany designed a simple experiment for students on the Environmental Science course [3]. Eight mini-hives, each with approximately 8 000 bees were set up for the experiment. Four of them were equipped with a DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication)-station at the bottom of the hive, and the other four without the DECT-station served as controls. At the entrance of each hive, a transparent plastic tube enabled the experimenters to watch the marked bees entering and leaving the hive, so they can be counted and their time of return after release recorded for a period of 45 minutes. The experimenters also studied building behaviour by measuring the area of the honeycomb and its weight.

In the course of the experiment, three colonies exposed to mobile phone radiation and one non-exposed control colony broke down. The total weights of the honeycombs in all colonies, including those at the time of breakdown were compared. The controls weighed 1 326g, while those exposed to the DECT-stations weighed only 1 045g, a difference of 21 percent. The total area of the honeycomb in the controls was 2 500, compared to just 2050 in the exposed hives. But it was the number of returning bees and their returning times that were vastly different. For two control hives, 16 out of 25 bees returned in 45 minutes. For the two microwave-exposed hives, however, no bees at all returned to one hive, and only six returned to the other.

Cordless phone base station widely used in homes and offices These dramatic results are of a preliminary nature, but one should bear in mind that the DECT-station is a simple cordless phone base, widely used in homes and offices. It emits microwave radiation of about 1 900 MHz continuously, which is frequency modulated at 100 Hz. The average power is 10 mW, with a peak of 250 mW. It represents the exposure levels of probably billons worldwide living near mobile phone base stations, or have cordless phones in their homes or offices.

The same scientists had carried out an earlier experiment with the cordless phone base on a standby mode, in which the average power is 2.5 mW, and that appeared to have had no effect on the bees [4, 5].

Clearly the present findings need to be taken much further, but their significance should not be downplayed for a number of reasons. The findings are compatible with evidence accumulating from investigations on many other species including humans, showing that mobile phone radiation is associated with a range of health hazards [6] (Drowning in a Sea of Microwaves, SiS 34). Furthermore, bees are known to be extremely sensitive to magnetic and electromagnetic fields, and there have been many suggestions that they could be used as an indicator species for electromagnetic pollution.

Bees as indicator species for electromagnetic pollution

Experiments dating well back to the last century have documented the phenomenal sensitivity of honeybees to electromagnetic fields. Bees use the earth’s magnetic field to navigate. Free-flying honeybees are able to detect static intensity fluctuations as weak as 26 nT against the background earth-strength magnetic field (average 500 μT) [7]. This has been demonstrated in experiments where individual honeybees have been trained to discriminate between the presence and the absence of a small static magnetic anomaly in the lab. Honeybees can also learn to distinguish between two 360o panoramic patterns that are identical except for the compass orientation. In this case, the difference was a 90 o rotation about the vertical axis [8]. The most powerful cue to direction for the honeybee comes from the sky, but discrimination between patterns is possible in the absence of celestial information, as when the sky is overcast. Under these conditions, bees can use a magnetic direction to discriminate between patterns.

The bees’ waggle dance on the honeycomb, which tells hive mates where to find food, can also be misdirected by anomalies in the earth’s magnetic field or very weak pulsed magnetic fields at about 250 MHz applied in the correct direction [9]. Bees can even learn to detect very low levels of extremely low frequency alternating electromagnetic fields [10].

But mobile phones have been around for close to 20 years, so why now? There has been a recent change in cell phone technology that coincides with the current crisis. At the beginning of the present century, 3G (third generation) mobile phone systems became publicly available, leading to a surge in popularity of mobile phones, and many more phone towers [11]. Bees are disappearing in North America, Europe and also Australia, wherever mobile phones are greatly in use. Stay tuned.

References

1. Ho MW and Cummins J. Mystery of disappearing bees. Science in Society 34 (in press).

2. Cummins J. Requiem for the honeybee. Science in Society 34 (in press).

3. Harst W, Kuhn J and Stever H. Can electromagnetic exposure cause a change in behaviour? Studying possible non-thermal influence on honey bees – an approach within the framework of education informatics. Acta Systemica 2006, 6, 1-6.

4. Stever H and Khun J. How electromagnetic exposure can influence learning processes – modelling effects of electromagnetic exposure on learning processes. Unpublished ms.

5. Stever H and Kuhn J. Electromagnetic exposition as an influencing factor of learning processes – a model of effect in educational informatics. IIASTransactions on Systems Research and Cybernetics. International Journal of the International Institute for Advanced Studies in systems Research and Cybernetics 2003, 3, 27-31.

6. Ho MW. Drowning in a sea of microwaves. Science in Society 34 (in press).

7.. Walker MM and Bitterman ME. Honeybees can be trained to respond to very small changes in geomagnetic field intensity. J Exp Biol 1989, 145, 489-94.

8. Frier HJ, Edwards Em, Smith C, Neale s and Collett TS. Magnetic compass cues and visual pateern learning in honeybees. J Expt Biol 1996, 199, 1353-61.

9. Korall H, leucht T and Martin H. Bursts of magnetic fields induce jumps of misdirection in bees by a mechanism of magnetic resonance. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 1988, 162, 279-84.

10. Kirschvink JL, Padmanabha S, Boyce CK and Oglesy J. Measurement of the threshold sensitivity of honeybees to weak, extremely low-frequency magnetic fields. J Exptl Biol 1997, 200, 1363-8.

11. “Disappearing bees and the cell phones posting”, Strabo, Google groups.

Source: The Bee Man

 

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Cell phone radiations may contribute to the population decline in bees
Seer Press
July 2, 2010

 

 

 

 

Recent findings show that bees may be negatively reacting to the radiations brought out by cellular phones.

There has been a clear depreciation in the number of bees recently as the population of bees in the United Kingdom plummeted down to 17 percent last year according to the British Bee Association or the BBA.

Also, there is roughly a 30 percent decrease in the population of bees in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Experts have pointed out several factors that contribute to the decreasing population of bees. This includes Varroa. A parasitic mite that is often called vampire mite for it sucks out the hemolymph fluid of the bees. Another factor would be agricultural pesticides whether it is aerial or those we put on the ground. And of course, climate change.

These factors have caused CCD or colony collapse disorder among the population of bees.

But recently, these three were added by another new cause of CCD.

The study of the researchers in Panjab University in Chandigarh, Northern India showed that cell phone radiations too might very well be contributing to the decreasing number of bee population. These researchers tried some odd experiments on the beehives and they were shocked by the results.

They stuffed cell phones inside the hives and they turned the cell phones on for thirty minutes a day. They divided the thirty minutes to two equal parts so it would be two 15-minute exposures a day.

They were shocked to find out that after three months, the busy bees actually became not busy anymore. The bees’ honey production halted. The eggs reproduced by the queen decreased by 50 percent and the hive’s size greatly decreased, indicating the negative effect of cell phone radiation on bees.

According to Andrew Goldsworthy, a biologist from the UK ’s Imperial College, London, bees could be possibly affected by cell phone radiations since they use this pigment in their bodies called cryptochrome. This cryptochrome is what they use to navigate and travel around. It senses electromagnetic fields as it travels around.

“They use it to sense the direction of the earth’s magnetic field and their ability to do this is compromised by radiation from [cell] phones and their base stations. So basically bees do not find their way back to the hive,” as stated by Goldsworthy in an interview with CNN. Goldsworthy also suggested that OFCOM should alter their radio frequencies so as for the bees to be unharmed by the current frequencies.

With the decrease of bees, this would spell out trouble in the economy and of course, in the environment. The bees of course, produce honey, which is very profitable in the market. Also, bees help in the pollination of crops and other plants as they help 90 commercial growers. The United Kingdom generates a rough income of $290 million dollars annually from these crops while the U.S. generates an income of about $12 billion annually.

Seer Press

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Cellular phone uses linked to bee deaths
Science Go Go
by Kate Melville
April 16, 2007

A small study from Landau University in Germany suggests that the navigational capabilities of honeybees may be adversely affected by radiation from GSM cell phones. The findings could provide an answer to the mystery of disappearing bee colonies across the Western world.

The cell phone study, conducted by Landau's Jochen Kuhn, was originally presented at a German Informatics and Cybernetics conference back in 2003. It focused on the effects of cell phone radiation on the neurological mechanisms that control learning and memory. Placing handsets near hives, Kuhn observed that GSM cell phone radiation in the frequency range 900 MHz - 1800 MHz caused the bees to avoid the hive. Kuhn speculates that the "waggle" dance that bees perform on the honeycomb to communicate with others could be influenced by the radiation.

Not all scientists agree that the dance is the primary means of communication between bees, but past studies have shown that it can fundamentally affect bee movement patterns. Kuhn suggests that the 200 - 300 cycles/second oscillations that dancing bees produce through honeycomb may be interrupted by a resonance effect caused by the telephone handsets.

First observed in the United States, the phenomenon of disappearing hive populations - known as colony collapse disorder - has now spread to Europe and Britain. The disorder causes bees to desert hives en masse, leaving only immature bees and queens. What happens to the errant bees is a mystery, but scientists speculate that they die while wandering far from their home hive. The disorder, now affecting two-thirds of American hives, is causing increasing alarm because of the critical role bees play in pollination.

Science Go Go

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HomeBusiness Cellular phone uses linked to bee deaths
The Star
by Dana Flavelle
April 18, 2007

Some 24 U.S. states have reported massive bee losses, far beyond anything considered normal in the winter die-off.

Beekeepers in parts of British Columbia are the latest to report unusually high winter losses, joining those in Ontario's Niagara Region reporting losses up to 90 per cent in some cases. But it's unclear whether these localized incidents are evidence that Canada is suffering from colony collapse disorder.

"I don't know how we can know for sure that we don't have something when we don't know what it is," said Ed Nowek, president of the Canadian Honey Council, the national industry association. "We've got some cases in the Okanagan where people are suspicious there's a link."

Whatever the cause, Nowek says there's good reason to worry.

Martin Weatherall isn't surprised that a German researcher has linked cellphone radiation to the mysterious disappearance of millions of bees around the globe.

Weatherall, a retired Toronto police officer who was forced out of his Woodstock, Ont., home after high levels of radio waves from nearby hydro-electric poles and cellphone towers made him electro-hypersensitive, is better able than most to understand the German study, which shows that bees refuse to return to their hive when cellphones are placed nearby.

"I can imagine how it would affect the bee," said Weatherall.

The new research on how cellphone use impacts on bees is gaining popularity among those looking to explain a new apiary phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.

The problem is characterized by the sudden widespread disappearance of commercial bees used to pollinate crops, as if they've flown away from the hive and refused to come back, according to U.S. agricultural analysts.

"For this spring, we could see shortages of spring bees for pollination," Nowek said. That could lead to crops losses, especially for B.C. blueberries, as well as cranberries and canola seeds in the prairie provinces, he said. In Ontario, bees help pollinate cherries and pears. "The loss, over and above the cost to the beekeeper, can be exponential."

Conventional theories about why the bees are disappearing range from stress to poor nutrition.

Weatherall is among those who believe a report out of Landau University in Koblenz, Germany, that links cellphone radiation to bee behaviour.

Weatherall said that he, too, was forced out of his new home when hydro-electric lines made him hypersensitive to electricity. He said his symptoms included constant ringing in his ears, headaches and nausea and eventually led to a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

"Some people are virtually suicidal they're so upset with the way they feel all the time," said Weatherall.

Despite the new German research, bee researchers remain skeptical of the impact of radio waves on bees. They claim it is just one of several theories that include global warming and genetically modified crops.

"All of these are speculation. They deserve to be investigated. They are good hypotheses, some of them. Others are out of reality, in my opinion," said Ernesto Guzman, associate professor with the University of Guelph's department of environmental biology.

Guzman, a specialist in bee research, says he believes stress is the major factor in the situation south of the border while in Canada a combination of poor weather on fall food supply levels and an influx of mites is the likely cause.

Beekeeping practices in the U.S. have diverged from those in Canada in the last 10 to 15 years as competition from cheap honey in China forced more American beekeepers to rent out their bees for crop pollination, Guzman said.

Many beekeepers move their colonies frequently to new fields, where too many bees compete for too little food. They die in overheated trucks, or get left behind.

Source: The Star