Could mobile phones be killing millions of bees

MobilePhones ^ | 15 Apr 2007 | Patrick Altoft

[Always Right]

I gonna 'splain the plan to you. Apply for a gubmint grant to study the global warming aspect of the bees and Sons of Bees losing their ways to the hives. Must be worth at least $250,000 in grants, which you can probably get renewed yearly.

Great idea. I just need to get some phoney credentials and send my proposal to the IPCC. I've already got some cool photos of some starving bees stranded on an isolated dead flower.

[Liberty Wins]

"I've encouraged clover growth in my lawn and I have bees."

So should we all plant a little patch of clover in our yard? Sounds okay to me, I love clover blossoms.

[Daffynition]

I continue to be most interested in this topic. If you hear of any more information or hard science I would appreciate a ping. Thank you kindly.

[hoosierham]

Yes, the grass(fescue?) monoculture is part of the chemical lawn because clover is treated as a weed ;too many neighorhoods or cities actually require these billiard table lawns.Such lawns were a sign of wealth that one could afford to NOT use one's entire land for productive uses.

My dear ex turned the front "lawn" into a herb and mint garden, and half the back yard into excellent vegetables.The neighbors and kids weren't quite sure they liked it.Luckily the small ,old city respected private property unlike the planed communities which isued citations for flower gardens....... It has always amused/mystified me that millions of otherwise rational people spend billions of dollars growing a crop they mercilesly harvest for the landfill.Cultural insanity?

[KeyWest]

I am a beekeeper and the problem is mostly hype. Disappearing disease hits bees periodically and in some areas severely reduces the population. No one really knows what causes it but the bees come back just fine.

Almond pollination requires about a million colonies. The Almonds were pollinated. There was not a major shortage of colonies. The same for the east coast and blueberry pollination which requires about 60,000 colonies. There will be no shortage of colonies.

There is a problem but it is with the Varroa and Tracheal mites. Varroa controls have lost their effectiveness and most of the losses can be attributed to it. Tracheal has been under the radar for a long time, since it appeared to be under control. The current symptoms of the problem are almost exactly like Tracheal mites. Tracheal mites thrive when bees are confined such as winter and when bees are transported. Almost all the reports are from commercial operations where both conditions can be found.

All the losses in my State (which is no longer Fla) were from mites, but that did not stop one large operation from saying it was colony collapse, even though his bees had a high mite load before the collapse. Made the papers so more hype.

The cell phone trial was bogus since it was clear the testers did not have any knowledge of bees and how they forage.

All the usual suspects are attaching their cause to the “crisis” including anti-GMO, anti-pesticide, anti-cell phone, anti-industrialization, global warming, and people trying to make a buck out or hysteria.

The problem has been with us before and is with us now and the world did not come to an end.

[Daffynition]

Thank you for your thoughtful response. We have much to learn.

[rabidralph]

The bees are dying from the increased use of hybrid cars. It only takes a few to disrupt the bees’ lives.

[spunkets]

"It has always amused/mystified me that millions of otherwise rational people spend billions of dollars growing a crop they mercilesly harvest for the landfill. Cultural insanity?"

Yes. Especially the part about the laws, citations and planned communities.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Last month near San Diego I ran through a bee swarm at 70 mph. Maybe collisions with cars are killing bees in greater numbers.

[CholeraJoe]

Could mobile phones be killing millions of bees?

No. It's the colder than normal winters caused by Global Warming. /Sheryl Crowe

[spunkets]

"Almost all the reports are from commercial operations where both conditions can be found."

I quizzed my beekeeping neighbors. That's what they said.

[Badeye]

“Note to self: Keep mobile phone on more often.”

ROTL! Damned if that wasn’t my initial reaction as well.

[Orange1998]

Einstein never said that in any of his works. A physicist making scientific quotes about insects, Yeah Right. I really wish some would get the facts before repeating falsehoods.

[capitalist229]

Maybe the bees can be issued tinfoil hats.

Or issue them to the more gullible members of this forum.

BUMP

[sam_paine]

This is the state of science in the 21st century.

Nothing more than witch hunts.

Meanwhile, there’s a “Natural Gardener” show on the weekends here in Austin which advocates advocates unfettered use of “natural” pesticides like “tobacco teas” which are broad-band neurotoxins for bees and other pollinating insects.

Instead of a focused specific pesticide for aphids or whatever, granny is instructed to blast her tomatoes with an unnatural concentration of ‘natural’ poison, and she feels good about herself.

Nuclear fusion is a natural source of energy, too. But drop a 20MT thermonuclear bomb on a city, and that’s not a very ‘natural’ result.

[Lazamataz]

From KeyWest: I am a beekeeper and the problem is mostly hype. Disappearing disease hits bees periodically and in some areas severely reduces the population. No one really knows what causes it but the bees come back just fine.

Almond pollination requires about a million colonies. The Almonds were pollinated. There was not a major shortage of colonies. The same for the east coast and blueberry pollination which requires about 60,000 colonies. There will be no shortage of colonies.

There is a problem but it is with the Varroa and Tracheal mites. Varroa controls have lost their effectiveness and most of the losses can be attributed to it. Tracheal has been under the radar for a long time, since it appeared to be under control. The current symptoms of the problem are almost exactly like Tracheal mites. Tracheal mites thrive when bees are confined such as winter and when bees are transported. Almost all the reports are from commercial operations where both conditions can be found.

All the losses in my State (which is no longer Fla) were from mites, but that did not stop one large operation from saying it was colony collapse, even though his bees had a high mite load before the collapse. Made the papers so more hype.

The cell phone trial was bogus since it was clear the testers did not have any knowledge of bees and how they forage.

All the usual suspects are attaching their cause to the “crisis” including anti-GMO, anti-pesticide, anti-cell phone, anti-industrialization, global warming, and people trying to make a buck out or hysteria.

The problem has been with us before and is with us now and the world did not come to an end.

[Cowboy Bob]

Bees have long been more accepting of Homosexuality. This is the result!

[jpl]

This is such utterly ridiculous rubbish. If cell phones actually emitted enough “radiation” to kill a bee, they would be too personally dangerous for us to be carrying around on our persons.