Cell Phones and Bee Death Buzz
Are Cell Phones Really Killing the Bees?
Over the past several months there has been a rapid decline of significant percentages of world wide bee colonies. Colony Collapse Disorder is the new name for what has been destroying bee hives. The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is reported to have lost 60 percent of its commercial bee population, with 70 percent gone on the East Coast. Scientists are don’t know the exact cause, but researchers at Landau University suggest that radiation from mobile phones may be at least partially to blame. Some suggest that the proliferation of cell towers in rural areas may play a role.
Don’t be too quick to believe that cell phones will cause our doom. Spiegel Online looks critically at the research on cellphones and bees death in detail. This article also looks at the many other, more convincing reasons for the Colony Collapse Disorder such as GM crops or global warming.
Bill Maher asked on his HBO show last week if people would give up using the cellphone in order to save the bees – and help prevent the massive ecological collapse and wide spread hunger. He repeated the now famous but quote by Albert Einstein “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years left to live.’ But is it accurate? Snopes.com suggests its very doubtful Einstein ever said that.
But the reasoning of this statement, that bees are significant pollinators, pollinating over 60 different types of crops up to a third of all our food crops still holds true. Without pollinators, fruit trees wouldn’t give us their yummy harvests, and many other plants such as cucumbers, squash, watermelons and pumpkins would exist only in the history books – provided there would still be those too.
EnvironmentDebate.com offers that while it may not be certain that Einstein wrote that it is certain that Rachel Carson wrote in Silent Spring “Man is more dependent on these wild pollinators than he usually realizes. Even the farmer himself seldom understands the value of wild bees and often participates in the very measures that rob him of their services.
…Without insect pollination, most of the soil-holding and soil-enriching plants of uncultivated areas would die out, with far-reaching consequences to the ecology of the whole region …”
from environmentdebate.
I suspect we will be hearing more about Colony Collapse Disorder in the coming months, better start saving up now because food prices are going to go crazy.
A very good article was in the New York Times today about Colony Collapse Syndrome debunks some of the hype and offers new facts. Also today, the celsias blog has a very good take on the media and blog hyper-hype around cellphones zapping bees.
April 23rd, 2007 23:00
You know, one thing that always lingers in my mind when I read the bee-b-gone articles is, “If Japan has the highest number of Cellphones, they must have NO bees, right?”
What do you think?
April 24th, 2007 07:51
I just searched the Japan Times for Bees and didn’t come up with any articles about people freaking out about Bees dying. So either the Japanese haven’t noticed their bees taking off or you are on to something.
Whatever the cause, it is pretty frightening. I suspect they will eventually find this is somehow related to Global Warming or maybe some pesticide previously thought harmless.
Thanks for commenting.
April 24th, 2007 12:00
I haven’t seen information on whether this is a truly worldwide occurance. They don’t have cell phones in every country so it would be interesting to see if there are bee die offs there. There are even parts of the US (especially Nevada) without coverage, and it would be interesting to know if the bees are missing there too.
I also remember hearing about this since a few years ago. Has there been a sudden change, or are people finally taking notice?
April 25th, 2007 19:39
I have also been blogging about the missing honeybees. I am really very concerned about it. I don’t know if cell phones are the reason, but I suspect it is genetically altered crops and/or pesticides causing the mysterious bee die off. Either way, if the bees continue to die, we may be doomed.
April 29th, 2007 15:30
After keeping bees for the past 10 years, I suspect Colony Collapse disorder is caused by a number of reasons. First, The beekeeping industry has been selling chemical antibiotic pesticides to the beekeepers to use as a PREVENTATIVE measure against Varroa mites. As any doctor will tell you, you can’t use antibiotics as a preventative without it becoming eventually ineffective. The Varroa Destructor mite is a very simple creature which has morphed quickly(in the past 10 to 20 years)to withstand antibiotic treatments. The honeybee, a very complex creature does not change as easily. Secondly, nicotine based pesticides make the creature forget how to get home. Third, climate change or drought in North America has greatly reduced forage for the bees. Fourth, the beekeeeping industry has not addressed the mite problem genetically. See purvisbrothersbees.com. Cell phones? Well, if they figure out this is true, I’ll be the first to give up mine! I believe that Einstien was smarter than most of us alive today. We should pay heed to his message.
April 29th, 2007 20:02
Thanks for your thoughtful and concerned replies.
I too am very worried about the bees. I am doubtful the cellphone has anything to do with it too. Mark, your explanations seem very plausible here. I read your blog post on the bees disappearing, very good article. Sunshine thanks for linking to our blog and for your insightful post on your blog about the bees as well.
May 29th, 2007 10:23
You guys are retarded, you don’t know what you’re talking about. People poach bees, stop poaching bees. Get a license to legally kill bees…please. People are mounting them on their walls.Im getting on my knees to save the bees, don’t you see? It’s only creed that you save the bees. Get a lease to freeze these bees….please (on my knees.) C’mon guys, stop this madness, it’s killing the worlds supply of honey nut oat cereal, we just can’t afford to lose our honey flavored cereal because of bee poachers. GOD!!! Poaching bees is the work of the devil!…I said the Devil!! Doesn’t that concern you people?? You morons, you blind bastards, letting hell take over our earth, our one and only, one of a kind planet that exists in this galaxy. The smartest planet in which God wanted to consist of LIVING BEES, not DEAD bees. Doesn’t it hurt??? Doesn’t it hurt like a bee sting? huh? answer me you bkb!! (bee killing bitches/bastards.) So help yourself, please stop the suffrage of bees. God, lets say a prayer for the hope of the survival of the bees:
our father who aren’t in heaven, hallo be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done to save the bees in heaven, give us our day our daily honey and bread, as done on earth as it is in the hive, forgive us our tresppasses and lead us not to kill our bees…amen.
Pray for our mercy on the messengers of god…the bees.