Would you consider giving up your cell phone? What!? My cell!? No way! Okay, but would you give up your cell phone to save the human race? Uh…is there a Plan B? That imagined conversation may sound unlikely, but if German researchers are correct, cell phones may be endangering our food supply. In just the few days since I sent you the e-Alert "Bee Home Soon?" (4/18/07) about the crisis caused by widespread disappearance of honeybees, a new study, just released, adds a disturbing twist to this dilemma. As I mentioned in that e-Alert, colony collapse disorder (CCD) is quickly becoming a national nightmare for beekeepers. In CCD, most of the mature bees in a colony abandon their hives and don't return. Beekeepers in nearly 30 states and several countries in Europe have reported losses of 40 to 90 percent of their bees. Obviously the honey industry will suffer, but more important is the sudden absence of these efficient pollinators who are responsible for the survival of a large percentage of food crops. Now a study from Germany's Landau University suggests that cell phones may be interfering with bees' navigation abilities. In the study, cell handsets placed near hives caused returning bees to avoid their hives. Further studies are needed to determine if widespread cell use has the same effect as individual handsets used in the vicinity of bee colonies. If the threat from cell phones DOES turns out to be real, I've got a feeling that Verizon, Cingular and their cronies will figure out a way to save the bees. After all, if the human race is destroyed, who will buy the iPhone?
Jenny Thompson Sources:
"Mobile Phone Threat to Honeybees" Lester Haines, The Register, 4/16/07, theregister.co.uk | 
