...cell phones killing the world's bees?

Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees...


File this one under "unforeseen potential consequences of our technologies..."

Other possible scenarios include infections or pathogenic impacts.

"Recent research tested crops where seed was treated with imidacloprid. The chemical was present, by systemic uptake, in corn, sunflowers and rape pollen in levels high enough to pose a threat to honey bees. Additional research has fond that imidacloprid impairs the memory and brain metabolism of bees, particularly the area of the brain that is used for making new memories.

Implication: If bees are eating fresh or stored pollen contaminated with these chemicals at low levels, they may not cause mortality but may impact the bee’s ability to learn or make memories. If this is the case, young bees leaving the hive to make orientation flights may not be able to learn the location of the hive and may not be returning causing the colonies to dwindle and eventually die. It is also possible that this is not the sole cause of the dwindling but one of several contributing factors."

...preceding quote from "Fall Dwindle Disease (Now renamed Colony Collapse Disorder) Preliminary Report"
© The Pennsylvania State University 2007

Please also look at this previous post.




peAce...
topbop!