Changes in honey bee nutrition after exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field

The European Zoological Journal · 2024 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 250

Bees exposed to RF electromagnetic fields at 12 V/m and 28 V/m showed statistically significant differences in biochemical markers (total proteins, TAS activity, and triglycerides) compared with controls in most cases. The authors conclude that RF electromagn…

Study snapshot

PublicationThe European Zoological Journal · 2024

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Changes in honey bee nutrition after exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field Migdal P, Plotnik M, Bieńkowski P, Murawska A, Berbeć E, Sobkiewicz P, Zarębski K, Latarowski K (2024). Changes in honey bee nutrition after exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field. The European Zoological Journal, 91:1, 172-179. doi: 10.1080/24750263.2024.2308550. Abstract Urban beekeeping has gained interest in recent years. Bees placed in cities, on the roofs of buildings, are exposed to many different sources of electromagnetic fields of different frequencies and intensities. Knowledge about the impact of electromagnetic fields on the physiology and behavior of insects (including honey bees) is limited. Hence, one of the first steps was to check how radiofrequency electromagnetic fields affect honey bees’ nutrition. The level of total proteins, glucose, triglycerides, and TAS activity in bee hemolymph was analyzed. This is because they indicate the honey bee’s nutrition level. The experiment involved 2-day-old Carniolan worker honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica L.). The bees were exposed to fields of 12 V/m, 28 V/m, and 61 V/m for 0.25, 1 and 3 h. Hemolymph was taken from 40 alive worker honey bees from each group immediately after exposure, by removing the antennae with sterile tweezers. The activity of biochemical markers (total proteins, TAS, and triglycerides) in the bee hemolymph in 12 V/m and 28 V/m groups showed statistically significant differences compared to the control group in most cases. According to our own research, radiofrequency electromagnetic fields disturb honey bee nutrition. The changes in the analyzed indicators may have long-term effects. Open access paper: tandfonline.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionharm

Population2-day-old Carniolan worker honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica L.)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 0.25, 1, and 3 h

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Total proteins in hemolymph
Glucose in hemolymph
Triglycerides in hemolymph
TAS activity in hemolymph

Limitations

Frequency of the RF field not reported in the abstract
Exposure source (e.g., phone/base station) not specified
Total sample size and allocation across groups not fully specified (only 40 alive workers sampled per group immediately after exposure is stated)
Results for the 61 V/m group are not described in the abstract
Only immediate post-exposure measurements are described; long-term outcomes are not measured in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "0.25, 1, and 3 h"
  },
  "population": "2-day-old Carniolan worker honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica L.)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Total proteins in hemolymph",
    "Glucose in hemolymph",
    "Triglycerides in hemolymph",
    "TAS activity in hemolymph"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Bees exposed to RF electromagnetic fields at 12 V/m and 28 V/m showed statistically significant differences in biochemical markers (total proteins, TAS activity, and triglycerides) compared with controls in most cases. The authors conclude that RF electromagnetic fields disturb honey bee nutrition and that changes in these indicators may have long-term effects.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency of the RF field not reported in the abstract",
    "Exposure source (e.g., phone/base station) not specified",
    "Total sample size and allocation across groups not fully specified (only 40 alive workers sampled per group immediately after exposure is stated)",
    "Results for the 61 V/m group are not described in the abstract",
    "Only immediate post-exposure measurements are described; long-term outcomes are not measured in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "honey bee",
    "Apis mellifera carnica",
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic field",
    "RF-EMF",
    "hemolymph",
    "nutrition",
    "total proteins",
    "glucose",
    "triglycerides",
    "TAS activity",
    "V/m"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Experimental RF-EMF exposure study in honey bees measuring biochemical markers."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2024.2308550
PubMed: Not supplied

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