Are cell phones the source of the bee problem? (Jon Sullivan)
ZURICH, Switzerland – As if cell phones aren't blamed for enough already, Swiss scientists now say cell phone signals can affect bees' buzzing, and even cause them to leave the hive at the wrong time, The Local Switzerland reported Thursday.
The website said research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology that involved placing mobile phones in beehives showed that when the phones were activated, the buzzing frequency rose significantly.
"This is clear evidence that the bees are sensitive to phone signals and are disturbed by mobile phones," The Local quoted research director Daniel Favre as saying.
Favre said bees normally only hum at high frequency when they are about to leave the hive in search of food and that cell phones could cause them to leave prematurely, before the queen had fully matured.
That would have a devastating effect on the environment, The Local said, since many trees and plants rely on the bees to reproduce.
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