Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?

Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees

It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. Full Story »

Posted by Leo Romero
Tags Help
Subjects: Sci/Tech
Topics: Environment
Member Tags: bees dieoff cellphones, bees, CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder, mobile phones
Editorial Help

Reviews

Show All | Notes | Comments | Quotes | Links
David Fox
2.5
by David Fox - Oct. 1, 2008

I was disappointed at how "thin" this story was. I was hoping for much more specific evidence. The big question that wasn't answered -- why now? What's changed in the last year or two that would have caused an abrupt change. And weren't cell phones a lot more prevalent in other countries (e.g., Japan, Europe, UK) before they were in the States? Then why are we seeing this happening here first? Also, a link I found said that the quoted German study was about placing a portable phone base station near (in?) a hive... These use a different frequency than mobile phones.

See Full Review » (12 answers)
Paul-André Raymond
1.6
by Paul-André Raymond - Oct. 1, 2008

Alarming story that gives little or no evidence to back up the assertion. Quite the contrary in fact: if the Bee epidemy started in the US, this would be a strong indication that Mobile Phone is NOT the cause (bear in mind that US usage of mobile phone is trailing most other industrialized countries including the UK). Based on the source cited here, the cause is something else than mobile phone....

See Full Review » (7 answers)
Veronica Barlee
3.6
by Veronica Barlee - Oct. 1, 2008

an interesting exploratory story about the problem of disappearing bees and cell phones, albeit a bit thin on research sources but clearly identifies that the research quoted is preliminary.

See Full Review » (13 answers)
Barry Grossheim
4.3
by Barry Grossheim - Oct. 1, 2008

Clearly written and well researched.

See Full Review » (7 answers)
Leo Romero
3.0
by Leo Romero - Oct. 1, 2008
See Full Review » (1 answer)
Kevin Doyle Jones
4.1
by Kevin Doyle Jones - Oct. 1, 2008

very interesting, links to other research

See Full Review » (7 answers)
Beth Jones
3.8
by Beth Jones - Oct. 1, 2008

A good overview of an alarming development.

See Full Review » (13 answers)
Peter Ford
1.8
by Peter Ford - Oct. 1, 2008

Very hard to believe and digresses to many sensational claims.

See Full Review » (7 answers)
Jami Dwyer
3.0
by Jami Dwyer - Oct. 1, 2008

Interesting possibility, based mostly on one "limited study," doesn't give much detail of that study. Another source suggests the strange quote of Einstein opining on beekeeping is unverifiable. Also goes on a rather biased rant about cell phones and brain tumours (studies are in fact contradictory as yet), speculating wildly that modern teenagers will be senile in middle age.

See Full Review » (7 answers)
Sam Rose
3.4
by Sam Rose - Oct. 1, 2008

The story is well written, but, the premise of cell phones somehow killing off beesis not explored from more than one source. What do other experts think? What are some other theories about why bees are disappearing? cell phones have been around for a while, but bees are *just now* starting to die off,why? The article doesn't really explore this too well

See Full Review » (7 answers)

Comments on this story Help (BETA)

NT Rating | My Rating

Ratings

3.3

Average
from 14 reviews (50% confidence)
Quality
3.4
Facts
3.2
Fairness
3.2
Information
3.8
Sourcing
3.1
Style
3.4
Accuracy
3.5
Balance
2.4
Context
3.3
Popularity
3.2
Recommendation
3.1
Credibility
3.5
# Reviews
5.0
# Views
5.0
# Likes
1.0
# Emails
1.0
More
How our ratings work »
(See these related stories.)

Links Help