08 JULY 2012
Environmental Poisoning of Bees in Switzerland
If a beekeeper has suffered incomprehensible loss of colonies during the past winter, in spite of having treated them against the varroa parasite, he is urged to implement legal proceedings by addressing a letter to the investigating judge requesting compensation for losses incurred from “those responsible or on the part of the State to the extent that it will have failed in its duty to ensure a healthy environment.” The value of each hive is estimated to be 1,900 Swiss francs (US$1,957).
The letter goes on to say that one of the potential causes for the disappearance of the bees could be due to the harmful effect of mobile telephony and then refers to the Swiss study published in the scientific journal Apidology in 2011 (volune 42, no.3) on the results of a study carried out with mobile phones placed near bees, “Mobile phone-induced honeybee worker piping”. In the Swiss Review “Apiculture”, November 2011, it was suggested that bees would be perturbed not only by the presence of mobile phones near hives but also during intense electromagnetic pollution such as that occurring during New Year’s Eve.
The letter requests undertaking a serious, independent study measuring the values of electromagnetic emissions from mobile telephony near hives at different times of the year, especially from end October until March, and comparing the results with the loss of hives. Agricultural practices and treatment by pesticides and fertilizers near the hives would also be investigated.
“Given the importance of maintaining domestic bees in our ecosystem, refusal on the part of the authorities (for lack of time, money or reliable scientific data) would be inadmissible.”
In addition to viral and bacterial causes for loss of bee colonies, “there are other causes, qualified as anthropogenic, among which are electromagnetic waves from mobile telephony and pesticides. It is inacceptable that so many stakeholders today strive, often thanks to the passivity of the authorities, to pollute our environment. Although there is enormous interest for ensuring that the pesticide or mobile phone industries are financially profitable, safeguarding our living heritage is superior to financial interests.”
It great to see so many people working hard to counteract the decline of bee populations. I read a suggestion of having flower beds in the garden as opposed to lawns. I have written an introduction to beekeeping to help people get more invovled: Beekeeping
ReplyDeleteRecently there was an article in the Tribune de Genève about beehives in the city. Apparently urban bees are doing well which is puzzling because there is so much electrosmog in the city: mobile antennas, Wi-Fi. Could someone explain this to us? There is more biodiversity in the city. The article did say, however, that one cannot look after the bees whenever one wants because there are times when the bees are more nervous and get excited more quickly.
ReplyDeleteMight have something to do with the fact that buildings block microwave signals to a certain degree.
ReplyDelete