Possible Cause of Dwindling Bee Population? Cell Phones

We all know that our reliance on technology significantly affects the natural environment. But when I saw this article on Inhabitat about how our cell phone use might be harming the bee population, I was shocked and upset.


Inhabitat cites a piece in the U.K.’s Daily Mail, which describes a study in which scientists, led by Dr. Daniel Favre, positioned a cell phone directly beneath a bee hive and kept track of how the bees responded to cell phone activity, such as the receiving of calls.

The researchers found that the bees did react to the cell phone, and with distress. They could tell when the phone was receiving a call and would buzz in a way that is associated with swarming. Although the bees never swarmed, Dr. Favre believes that the “onset of unexpected swarming triggered by mobile phone signals could have ‘dramatic consequences in terms of colony losses.’”

The bee population has been in tremendous decline over the past several decades, so while cell phones may not be the cause or even the only factor, they certainly are not helping.

Source: www.enn.com/