Colony collapse disorder and electromagnetic field exposure in honeybees

Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybee Populations

The honeybee population in the United States is currently undergoing a collapse of devastating proportions. Reports state that honeybees leave their colonies in search of nectar and pollen and never return resulting in a decline of approximately fifty-percent in the honeybee population over the last five decades. This phenomenon is not yet understood. This is critically important for scientists to understand because the food supply is dependent upon bee pollination and in fact Cornell University reports that "honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States." (Evans, 2007) This work explores the possible causes of this decline in the honeybee population and surprisingly finds that research conducted nearly six decades ago has revealed the likely cause of this problem.

COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER IN HONEYBEE POPULATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The honeybee population in the United States is currently undergoing a collapse of devastating proportions. Reports state that honeybees leave their colonies in search of nectar and pollen and never return resulting in a decline of approximately fifty-percent in the honeybee population over the last five decades. This phenomenon is not yet understood. This is critically important for scientists to understand because the food supply is dependent upon bee pollination and in fact Cornell University reports that "honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States." (Evans, 2007)

I. CAUSES OF CCD

Until recently the honeybee decline has been attributed primarily to diseases such as mites and other parasites and also to pesticides which are sprayed on crops. One report states that pesticides, specifically neonicotinioid pesticides, including imidacloprid, clothianiden and thiamethoxam, poison the bee while it is in the process of collecting nectar and pollen. The poisoning may occur when the material is ingested, or it may be transported to the hive where it poisons other bees in the colony." (Evans, 2007)

It is reported in Wired Magazine that bees "have a highly developed sense of smell -- at least 40 times more sensitive than humans. Within 30 seconds of exposure to a chemical agent, a colony of bees will change the sound it produces. And it's not simply that they get louder, all the frequencies shift and change producing a unique sonic signature that can be used to identify the agent." (Lorge, 2007) This report states that researchers are using tiny microphones set up at the entrance of the hive that is threatened and that a technology that the U.S. Army uses to detect airborne toxins allows them to quickly assess hive health.

III. PREVIOUS STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN IGNORED

The truth is that studies as far back as the 1970s have shown the effects of electromagnetic frequencies upon the animal and human population with findings stating that there was an increase in childhood leukemia in homes located close to high frequency powerlines as well as reports showing the negative affects of high frequency electromagnetic devices and tower upon the bird and bee population. In 1985 it was reported that honeybees were shown to be sensitive to "magnetic flux differences of 1 nanotesla (10microGauss)." (Sepp Hasselberger, 2009)

Stated to be one of the primary problems is that radiations from mobile phones which have changed from analog to digital means that these are pulsed at approximately 220 packets per second and that this frequency is real close to the native frequency of the bees hum ranging in from 190 to 250 cycles per second. (Sepp Hasselberger, 2009)

The work of Gaigg (2007) entitled: "The Big Bee Death" states that research has led to the investigation of a variety of possible reasons for CCD including:

(1) An exceptionally cold winter;

(2) Genetically modified plants;

(3) Monocultures;

(4) Toxic pesticides; and (5) Varroa mites.

The problem is that according to Gaigg (2007): "…none of these can explain the occurring phenomena in a satisfactory manner." In 1976 it was reported in the work of Ulrich Warnke entitled: "Effects of Electric Charges on Honeybees" that the fact that insects "...can carry an electrostatic charge is neither surprising nor new. A paper on the electrical properties of insect hairs was published as early as 1929."

IV. KEY FINDINGS IN EARLY REPORT OF WARNKE (1976)

Warnke (1976) states that each colony of bees "as a whole shows a level of charge which is characteristic of it, depending on its strength and the amounts of brood and honey in it. The alighting board immediately in front of the hive entrance is within the electrical influence of the colony. The following diagram illustrates the dipole effect of a bee's antennae. The bee is able to change the polarity of an antennae (from positive to negative within seconds) The dotted lines give a stylized indication of the lines of the electric field.

Figure 1

Source: Adapted from Warnke (1976)

Warnke discovered that bees are positively charged in good weather and in rain the charges are primarily negative along with other changes being noted based on weather variability. Warnke's findings also include that bee hives located in strong electric fields are "aggressive, stinging each other to death" and that communication between the bees were disturbed. In even stronger electric fields bees were found to rip the brood from their cells and to seal themselves inside the hide closing all ventilation holes and dying.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

While the negative affects of genetically modified plants, monocultures, toxic pesticides and Varroa mites to bee colonies and all living organisms cannot be denied it is certain that this is not the cause of the sudden and worldwide decline in the population of honeybees. Certainly, with all the available information on electromagnetic impact on bee populations one must wonder why this has not been openly addressed and why more research has not been conducted in this area.