Cellphone microwaves and the flight of the honeybees

Chandigarh, June 3 (UNI) Is the sudden and mysterious disappearance of bees from a few apiarian colonies in the state being attributed to the high tele density in Punjab? This may be one of the many reasons, but the actual cause has become the subject of intense scientific detective work and research amongst entomologists.

Many theories are being flaoted by entomologists and even a few beekeepers, including one that cellphone microwaves were wrecking the bees' radar system. There are others who dismiss the cell phone theory and attribute the flight to bees due fungus attack or attack of other diseases.

Still there are other entomologists and beekeepers of Punjab who dismiss all theories of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and say, "bees are making their rapturous ascent into heaven in advance of Judgement Day".

Under the CCD scenario, worker bees fly off in search of pollen and nectar, but their homing instruments, usually good for miles, fail them and they vanish. Other bees assigned duties within a hive take over the foraging role, until they, too, disappear. In a few days, the bees in a healthy colony dwindle to a few and finally just to the queen and her attendants. Beekeepers have opened the lids of a hive and have come across honey combed frames full of stored pollen and honey and with cells brimming with ghostly whitle bee larvae, abandoned and doomed.

Honey combed frames with none of the quivering mass of honeybees needed for the queen and her offspring to survive were noticed at the farms of certain beekeepers.

Beekeepers believe this ever-shifting existence creates stresses that weaken a colony's resistance to pests and diseases.

Entomologist have also raised concerns about a class of pesticide now in broad use and known to be highly toxic to bees. Synthetic versions of nicotine poisons could also be the reason for the bees to fly in search of a health enviornment.

Bees have been under dire pressure for years from the mites, but the new syndrome of the flight of the bees is raising questions about the effect of cell phone microwaves on the radar system of the bees that are in flight.

UNI