Sunday, April 29, 2007

On Bees


Rivahgal's message on my last post must have been telepathy - I wrote the post that follows yesterday evening, but didn't have time to publish it, and then found her message today.

Watching a programme on TV on Friday – a sort of science and nature news and documentary programme – I heard an alarming item about bees. It seems that numbers in Europe and the US are decreasing rapidly. Billions of bees have died - and it’s being put down to mobile phones.


It worried me enough to follow it up, and I came across this article from
The Independent. The theory is that the electronic signals from the phones disrupt the bees’ navigation systems, they can’t find their way home and die. As do the Queen and young bees left in the abandoned hive.

I spent part of this morning sitting outside on bee watch - not one, despite the fact that the balcony is now full of flowers which normally attract them. It's not proof of anything, as being in the centre of the city we don't get a lot of bees anyway. But there would normally be an occasional visit over an hour or so.

The British government has denied that there’s evidence of a problem with mobiles – but something is obviously making the bees disappear. And until they find out for sure what it is, I’m turning my mobile off.


3 comments:

Karen said...

Hello, I found your blog doing a google search on mandevilla in Italy. Then I started reading your other posts, too. I love your photos!

I had read about the declining numbers of bees, but hadn't heard of the mobile phone link. I live in the country, and for now I am seeing plenty of bees, but the situation is troubling nonetheless.

Anonymous said...

The white flowering shrub is philadephus 'mock orange'.

Sue Swift said...

"Anonymous's comment relates to the next post but somehow ended up her.
Oh now i do feel silly. I said I knew i knew it and it was on the tip of my tongue - I've got a philadephus on the balcony! Somewhat smaller and not yet in flower, but I should have recognised the leaves. I want one of those smiley's with someone hitting themselves on the forehead for being stupid ...

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