In Other Alarming News...

I'm not sure if you as readers know this about me, but I am not a huge fan of bees. Which makes this blog and it's title, somewhat ironic. Its not just bees I don't like, mind you, its butterflies, mosquito eaters, moths, and pretty much anything with wings and more than two legs. This being said, I think it prudent to mention that I try hard not to smash or otherwise pulverize said insects mostly because I am compassionate to their cause. And respectful. Very respectful. Bees in particular, are amazing. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in the world and they help regulate our eco system by pollinating the plants that make up a majority of our environment. Did I mention honey? I'm fairly certain my honey intake is about 2 Tablespoons a day, which, when i comes down to it, is an addiction. As much as we do not like, perhaps fear that horrible buzzing noise and their stingers, we cannot live without bees.

Sadly, from 1972-2006 there was a rapid decline in feral bees, mostly due to environmental issues like pollution and climate change. In 2010 a virus called invertebrate iridescent virus or IIV6, and the fungus Nosema Caranae was reported to have killed off a wide number of colonies. Today, the species seems to be dwindling. From a personal case point, I was walking home one day from work and I counted 4-5 little bee corpses littering the sidewalk. This was both alarming and disconcerting.

This leads me to the point of this blog, which happens to be this article I found on InHabitat dot com, written by Lori Zimmer, Originally found here. I will provide you with the reblog...

It's Official- Cell Phones are Killing Bees

"Scientists may have found the cause of the world’s sudden dwindling population of bees– and cell phones may be to blame. Research conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland has shown that the signal from cell phones not only confuses bees, but also may lead to their death. Over 83 experiments have yielded the same results. With virtually most of the population of the United States (and the rest of the world) owning cell phones, the impact has been greatly noticeable.

Led by researcher Daniel Favre, the alarming study found that bees reacted significantly to cell phones that were placed near or in hives in call-making mode. The bees sensed the signals transmitted when the phones rang, and emitted heavy buzzing noise during the calls. The calls act as an instinctive warning to leave the hive, but the frequency confuses the bees, causing them to fly erratically. The study found that the bees’ buzzing noise increases ten times when a cell phone is ringing or making a call – aka when signals are being transmitted, but remained normal when not in use.

The signals cause the bees to become lost and disoriented. The impact has already been felt the world over, as the population of bees in the U.S. and the U.K. has decreased by almost half in the last thirty years – which coincides with the popularization and acceptance of cell phones as a personal device. Studies as far back as 2008 have found that bees are repelled by cell phone signals.

Bees are an integral and necessary part of our agricultural and ecological systems, producing honey, and more importantly pollinating our crops. As it is unlikely that the world will learn to forgo the convenience of cell phones, it is unclear how much they will contribute to the decline of bees, and their impact on the environment."

Quite a conundrum. We need our cell phones, yes? But at what cost? I'm going to leave this up for you to consider and decide. I wonder how similar to ridding ourselves of harmful fuel emissions would be to restricting our cell phone usage? Its all a matter of innovation, thinks I. Just some food for thought.

Accompanied by a song...

"Hey - I hear what you're saying
Hey - I hear what he's saying
If you're after getting the honey - hey
Then you don't go killing all the bees"