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Are Cell Phones Killing All The Bees?


Posted by Stephen Wellman, Apr 16, 2007 03:32 PM

It seems pretty out there, but according to some scientists mobile phones could be killing off bee populations in the United States and parts of Europe. Can you hear the bees now?


Here is a look at the scientists' thinking:

The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously home-loving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.

Colony Collapse Disorder occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs, and a few immature workers. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife, and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.

Almost half the U.S. has experienced a mysterious decline in bee populations.

But evidence that cell phones are causing this phenomenon isn't certain, just as similar attempts to link mobile phones to health problems have proven inconclusive.

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