Towers Are a “Buzz Kill” in India

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In the city of Visakhapatnam in the Andhra Pradesh state in India, the honey bee population is dwindling, and studies are blaming radiation from cell towers and mobile phones, reported The Hans India.

Typically, bees fly long distances to collect nectar and can safely return to their combs. But due to high ranges of radiation levels being released by cell towers and mobile phones, experts say these factors are making honey bees forgetful and causing them not to return home. Additionally, with the onset of rapid urbanization and climate conditions, honey bees have vanished in urban areas, affecting the overall bee population. Though this discovery is not new, this phenomenon usually found in more developed countries is now affecting India as well.

Andhra Pradesh is one of the top 10 states producing natural honey from both forests – which has a high medicinal value – in rural areas, however, the honey collection has been steadily dropping. Over the past decade, the natural honey gathering from forest areas has dropped by 50 percent and in rural areas it has fallen by 75 percent, reported The Hans India.

According to Professor Bharatha Lakshmi, Department of Zoology, Andhra University, “Yes, the bee population is down due to the cellular towers and mobile phone radiation. With a high range of radiation, worker bees are confused in returning to their own combs to feed baby bees… as cellular towers have come up and mobile phones are being used in even forest areas, the population of bees has come down drastically.”

November 22, 2017

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