Are phone masts killing bees?

Ben Rooth

May 07, 2007

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MAST: Newton Heath

AN investigation has been launched by Bolton Council to discover whether radiation from mobile phone masts is killing the town's honey bees.

Some scientists blame them for dwindling bee populations believing that it interferes with their ability to find their way back to their hives.

Councillors in Bolton last week agreed to ask their planning improvement working party - made up of two councillors from each of the three parties on the council - to investigate.

Coun Ebrahim Adia, executive member for development, said that the party meets quarterly to look at ways of improving the planning system.

"Our powers in relation to phone masts are limited but here in Bolton we are committed to promoting bio-diversity and ecology as part of the planning process," he said.

"The issue about the impact of mobile phone masts on bees was raised at the last council meeting by Coun Norman Critchley who also said that he had also heard that the radiowaves could also affect birds that are migrating.

Evidence

"I think that as councillors we have a duty to look at all the evidence to assess the wide impact on radiation from mobile phone masts in regard to our planning policy."

Academics at Landau University in Germany recently discovered that 70 per cent of bees exposed to radiation failed to find their way back to their hive after searching for nectar and pollen.

Last week, research carried out at the University of Vienna in Austria also discovered that two-thirds of the bee-keepers surveyed who had a mobile phone mast within 300 metres had experienced "unexplained colony collapse."

But John Charlton, of the Manchester Beekeepers Association, said that none of their members had noticed any decline yet.

"The association has an apiary in Heaton Park virtually straight under one of these masts and we've not noticed any radical changes there," said Mr Charlton, from Sale, who has kept bees for 50 years.

"I suppose that the masts are still a comparatively new technology but I have to say that I personally have not noticed any evidence of what these studies are finding."

What do you think? Have your say.

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Showing comments 1 to 9 and replies | View All

Dances Alone, Chichester (07/05/2007 at 08:42)

Being very close to nature I have noted with dismay the changes to all animal life and most especially the birds, insects,trees and plants since 2004.
The birds all leave the area when power is high on mobile phone masts, especially with TETRA, and return some time later looking dazed and in bad condition.
I have recently moved to an area with less technology because I am sensitive to some of the technologies using pulsed microwave radiation and to my joy there
are birds and bees here.
Locals say there are less than there used to be, though.
Where I lived before the sparrows, blue tits, finches, wrens, robins disappeared and only a few thrushes and blackbirds visited. We rarely saw bees or the usual flying insects.

This is a warning - just like domestic animals who are very restless before an earthquake. We should listen and try to persuade authorities that waiting for scientific evidence may be
to late to help our world.

Jake Long, City Centre, Manchester (07/05/2007 at 11:17)

I do not think that normal mobile phone masts are a problem, but the BT Airwave ones are causing serious problems because of their extra power.

ace, manchester (07/05/2007 at 12:46)

I remember a BT mobile phone system called (dolphin) phones? they used to wipe out computer screeens when you used them,it used to worry the people i know who had them .fortunately they scrapped them,Before we use technology it should be tested "fully" before we use it commercially .and if found to be dangerous the company should be made to pay.

Jake Long, City Centre, Manchester (07/05/2007 at 18:51)

Ace: Unfortunately, Dolphin was the forerunner of BT Airwave terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA).

The Dolphin system could also be used back to back (peer to peer), which was fairly harmless. It also had a client mode which required a central mast, and this is what caused the problem.

This is the bit that has been adopted by BT Airwave who is a TETRA provider.

manchesterpaul, Manchester (07/05/2007 at 19:46)

Thanks M.E.N. i can't wait to tell my girlfriend she was wrong.

I knew i hadn't had one too many the other night when i couldn't find my way home. There are telephone masts situated all over the vicinity of her place.

Thanks again, i should be off the when i show her your article.

ace, manchester (08/05/2007 at 10:20)

Jake Long, City Centre, Manchester
Considering it was supossed to be harmless "Why did they wipe out any computer monitors within earshot?" mobile phones dont?

SamV, Manchester (08/05/2007 at 12:08)

The research from the Landau University had nothing to do with mobile phone radiation, in fact the scientists involved have been appalled by the press linking their studies to mobile phones. This was old news LAST WEEK.

Can the MEN please start doing some basic research into their stories before adding to the confusion.

Jake Long, City Centre, Manchester (08/05/2007 at 17:10)

Ace, I think that you misunderstand me. The Dolphin system was dual. Part of it was OK and part of it was dangerous, but you did not have the option to switch between the 2, it was always on and always communicating with the mast, which is why it knocked out the CPU monitors.

Maybe I just went a bit deep there because I have worked with these systems and understand them, but yes, in my opinion Dolphin was dangerous and so is Airwave.

LuÃs J (23/06/2007 at 12:44)

Suggested reading: "Death in the Air - Globalism, Terrorism & Toxic Warfare" by Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz - "For conspiracy 'doubters,' here is a book to sink your teeth into. In this powerful cutting-edge piece of research, Dr. Horowitz breaks new ground by documenting the deliberate contamination of whole populations by various means.... No more denial, an end to scoffing at the sinister agenda of depopulation, here is the proof you've asked for."

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