Cell Phones Aren't Killing Bees After All

radioweather writes "A couple of weeks ago, there was a nutty idea discussed in The Independent that claimed the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones was causing bees to become disoriented, preventing them from returning to the hive. The flimsy cell phone argument was used to explain Colony Collapse Disorder. Today the LA Times reports that researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered what they believe to be the real culprit: a parasitic fungus. Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country."

That is correct

[Cracked Pottery]

Correlation does not prove causality, it doesn't disprove it either. Enough anecdotal evidence can justify reasonable suspicion. E.g. brain cancer on the side of the head of people who heavily use cell phones, or children who become autistic within weeks of a vaccination. I don't think anybody with any sense believed the cell phone - bee dying association, since cell phones represent only a small slice of the EMR that is ubiquitous.

Change the headline

[shaitand]

There isn't one word in that article for or against cellular signals disrupting bee navigation systems.

The article is about one common factor that has been found in many of the hives. The researchers stress that this is only a small sample of the hives and that they don't think this fungus alone could cause the problem.

Its also depressing because if the fungus is central to the problem there MIGHT be an untested chemical that COULD have some detrimental affect on the fungus... MAYBE.

Re:Why blame everything else?

[Red Flayer]

It's called foulbrood. It's what kills beehives. Any apiculturist (beekeeper) can tell you all about it.

And any beekeeper worth his salt would tell you that foulbrood is bacterial, not fungal, and is treated with tetracycline antibiotics -- Terramycin is what I used when I kept bees.

In addition, foulbrood exists in almost every hive -- it's hives that are weakened for other reasons that are really damaged by it. So, for example, a hive that did not have adequate food supplies (such as if bees didn't return to the hive with pollen) would be more likely to have a huge foulbrood problem.

It's this knee-jerk environmentalism. Everyone was quick to blame cell phones, or some other junk science bullshit, for a problem that didn't exist.

Yes, there was a lot of speculation that was evenutally found to be false. That's science for ya.

/Never mind the fact that several bee parasites are ravaging North American hives due to successive mild winters, which may or may not be due to anthropogenic environmental problems.

Re:Cellphone don't kill bees...

[allanc]

The guy didn't even say that cell phones caused it. The study in question was about cordless phone base stations. And the base station basically had to be right on top of the colony to have an effect. Reporter reported cordless as "mobile phones", that turned into "cell phones"

Cancer and cell phones: new study results

[maynard]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/ne ws/2007/01/25/nmobile25.xml [telegraph.co.uk]

Long-term users of mobile phones are significantly more likely to develop a certain type of brain tumour on the side of the head where they hold their handsets, according to new research.

Mobile phone use linked to tumours
The results seem to suggest health risks in people who have regularly used mobiles for over 10 years

A large-scale study found that those who had regularly used mobiles for longer than 10 years were almost 40 per cent more likely to develop nervous system tumours called gliomas near to where they hold their phones.

The new research, to be published later this year in the International Journal of Cancer, is the second study to suggest increased risks of specific types of brain tumours in regions close to where mobile phone emissions enter the head.

Nosema isn't a new discovery

[robbins!]

I raised bees in Texas back in the 1970's and it was common knowledge then that nosema was a hive killer.

Abraca-duh

[Zero_DgZ]

NPR had an extensive piece on this parasitic fungus a number of weeks ago and its effects on the overall bee population. As I remember, they had a lot of detailed coverage on the scientists who discovered the phenomenon and have been monitoring/tracking it ever since.

I guess the crowd of shrill criers never miss a chance for bullshit sensationalism over thinking things through. Or, you know, looking at the rest of the news.

It's very easy to leap to the Isle of Conclusions, but it's a long swim back...

Swing that razor one more time.

[pragma_x]

I'm not supporting the "mobile phone" argument one bit, but I'm still skeptical of this as the reason. The fungus plays a role, as it really is the simplest explaination for CCD; it's just the smoking gun. You need to slice with the razor one more time.

Ask yourself: why is this fungus so successful at killing domestic honeybees, why now, and how is it moving from hive to hive so well?

I think the answer comes down to one of a few possibilities:
* The honeybees are stressed (diet, environment, travel, etc) and can't fight the infection
* The plants the bees pollenate are favoring growth of this fungus like never before (GMO's, pesticides, fertilizers, etc)
* Hives are being kept in containers/conditions that favor fungus growth
* The fungus is an invasive species and hence, the bees have no/little natural defense against it

The first one, unfortunately, seems most likely to me. We can *hope* that it's one or more of the others, since they're much more fixable IMO; they pretty much come down to "doing things they way grandpa did" and see if things change.

Re:Can't be right

[Anonymous Coward]

*cue twilight zone theme*

Afterwards, queue ball in the side pocket....

You know, actually, the original use of "cue" was correct. "Cue" can also mean:

      3. To position (an audio or video recording) in readiness for playing: cue up a record on the turntable.
(http://www.answers.com/cue&r=67)

"Queue", on the other hand, only has one variant of meaning.

Grammar Nazi FTW! :)

Re:Swing that razor one more time.

[pycnanthemum]

The organism he was speaking of is most likely the Varroa mite [ufl.edu], Varroa jacobsoni.