Mobile phone-induced honeybee worker piping
Favre D · 2011
View Original AbstractMobile phones cause honeybees to emit stress signals at radiation levels typical of normal phone use, suggesting biological effects below heating thresholds.
Plain English Summary
Researchers placed active mobile phones near honeybee colonies and recorded the bees' sounds to see if cell phone radiation affected their behavior. They found that phones operating at 900 MHz caused bees to produce 'worker piping' signals, which normally indicate either preparation for swarming or that the colony is under stress. This suggests that cell phone radiation can disrupt normal bee communication and behavior patterns.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that wireless radiation affects living systems beyond just heating tissue. The fact that honeybees respond to cell phone radiation at typical operating levels (SAR values of 0.271 to 0.98 W/kg) is particularly significant because bees are crucial pollinators whose declining populations threaten food security. The worker piping response indicates the bees perceived the radiation as a threat or disturbance, triggering stress behaviors normally reserved for colony emergencies. While this research focuses on insects rather than humans, it demonstrates that biological systems can detect and respond to RF radiation at power levels well below current safety standards, which are based solely on preventing tissue heating.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.271, 0.62, 0.81, or 0.98 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz GSM
- Exposure Duration
- continuous for 45 min - 20 h
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
In the present study, electromagnetic waves originating from mobile phones were tested for potential effects on honeybee behavior
Mobile phone handsets were placed in the close vicinity of honeybees. The sound made by the bees was...
The audiograms and spectrograms revealed that active mobile phone handsets have a dramatic impact on...
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2011_mobile_phoneinduced_honeybee_worker_98,
author = {Favre D},
title = {Mobile phone-induced honeybee worker piping},
year = {2011},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13592-011-0016-x},
}