Phone Radiation Disrupts Bees' Navigation Systems

[mikekn]

A recent study out of Landau University in Germany suggest that radiation from mobile phones may be a cause of colony collapse disorder (CCD). Their study showed that 70% of bees exposed to radiation from phones were unable to find their way back to the hive. This matches the effects of CCD which causes the bees to abandon the hive or just disappear. [1] [2]

With that in mind I'd like to propose the following suggestions to help solve or work around this problem.

- Replace all mobile and cellular phone in the hive with traditional land lines and hand sets.
- Bring the plants to the hive. Set them within a few feet of the hive (or better yet, on top of) so that the bees do not have to venture far to get their pollen.
- Tin foil. Simply wrapping the hive in foil may not be enough - recommend making and attaching tin foil armor for all worker bees.
- Build emergency rest stop hives over the entire area that the bees may roam. These hives will provide a safe haven for the lost bees and then the bee keepers can hand carry them back to the main hive each night.
- Breed new super honey bee. Take the 30% that don't get lost and use them to breed a new type of bee that is immune to the radiation.
- Equip worker bees with miniature GPS devices pre-set to lead them back to the hive.
- Enclose the area around the hive within a large mesh dome. This will prevent the bees from venturing too far away.
- Train sheep dogs to herd the bees back to their hive after the pollen is collected. (Alternately - train the bees to ride the sheep dog back to the hive)

I'll keep folks updated with any new developments.

Comments

[beckishadow.livejournal.com]

- Tin foil. Simply wrapping the hive in foil may not be enough - recommend making and attaching tin foil armor for all worker bees.

Heehee!!

[danabren.livejournal.com]

*dies*

You make some excellent points!

[mare-in-flames.livejournal.com]

(Alternately - train the bees to ride the sheep dog back to the hive)

*is ded*

[glenmarshall.livejournal.com]

Duct tape the phones or the bees.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Wow. I've been interested in this, but those two articles are rather useless. I agree with your assessment: tell the bees to stop using cell phones.

EM radiation might be an interesting lead, but certainly doesn't seem like it's time to say that it's the fault of cell phones. That's like saying if you impant a cell phone in my brain, and I die, it's because of cell phone radiation.

preaching to the choir, here, I know....

However, maybe they can follow this lead into the real culprit. Unusual magnetic fluctuations from the sun? Power lines? something...

[mikekn]

Yeah, I tried to find better information about the study, but at the time those were the best that I could find.

One now has a link to the study (in German):
http://www.idw-online.de/pages/de/news119580

Boing-Boing has a link to this version of the story:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece

Instapundit has some review and response:
http://instapundit.com/archives2/004182.php

[kathy-the-geek.livejournal.com]

So...having a good day. :-)

I personally like the tinfoil one!!

[mikekn]

It's a Monday. A Monday in mid-April where my driveway had an inch of slush this morning...

I was thinking with your experience working with miniatures and jewelry making you would be a good person to put together some prototypes of bee armor :)

[vonbryan.livejournal.com]

The problem with Tinfoil is that the bees would no longer be available for CIA mindontrol and monitoring. This would be a serious homeland security risk.

[mikekn]

Did they expand that program to include honey bees? I thought they were sticking with carpenter bees (easier to get in close to home).

I guess it wouldn't surprise me if Chaney and his henchmen did expanded it (no matter how bad an idea I think it is).

Not just the CIA, though

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Ah, but what's the greater risk: uncontrolled bees, or bees controlled by al-Qaeda?

(Here's hoping the anonymous comment doesn't get through...)