Honey Bee Proteolytic System and Behavior Parameters under the Influence of an Electric Field at 50 Hz and Variable Intensities for a Long Exposure Time

2021 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1179

Worker bees exposed for 12 h to a 50 Hz electric field (5.0, 11.5, 23.0, or 34.5 kV/m) showed fewer occurrences of walking, self-grooming, and contacts between individuals compared with controls. Experimental groups had significantly higher protease activity …

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2021

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Honey Bee Proteolytic System and Behavior Parameters under the Influence of an Electric Field at 50 Hz and Variable Intensities for a Long Exposure Time Paweł Migdał, Agnieszka Murawska, Aneta Strachecka, Paweł Bieńkowski, Adam Roman. Honey Bee Proteolytic System and Behavior Parameters under the Influence of an Electric Field at 50 Hz and Variable Intensities for a Long Exposure Time. Animals (Basel). 2021 Mar 18;11(3):863. doi: 10.3390/ani11030863. Abstract The effect of an artificial electromagnetic field on organisms is a subject of extensive public debate and growing numbers of studies. Our study aimed to show the effect of an electromagnetic field at 50 Hz and variable intensities on honey bee proteolytic systems and behavior parameters after 12 h of exposure. Newly emerged worker bees were put into cages and exposed to a 50 Hz E-field with an intensity of 5.0 kV/m, 11.5 kV/m, 23.0 kV/m, or 34.5 kV/m. After 12 h of exposure, hemolymph samples were taken for protease analysis, and the bees were recorded for behavioral analysis. Six behaviors were chosen for observation: walking, flying, self-grooming, contact between individuals, stillness, and wing movement. Bees in the control group demonstrated the highest number of all behavior occurrences, except flying, and had the lowest protease activity. Bees in the experimental groups showed a lower number of occurrences of walking, self-grooming, and contacts between individuals than the control bees and had significantly higher protease activity than the control bees (except that of alkaline proteases in the 23.0 kV/m group). Simple Summary The amount of electromagnetic field (EMF) in the environment emitted by electrical and electronic devices, mobile phone masts, or power lines is constantly increasing. Honey bees can be exposed to the EMF in the environment, and the influence of this factor on bees is still under consideration. Studying the impact of EMF on honey bees can give valuable information about whether it poses a threat to them. The honey bee is an important pollinator, playing a significant role in maintaining biodiversity and food production. Our research showed that a 50 Hz electric field at various intensities reduced the number of occurrences of walking, contacts between individuals, and self-grooming, and increased the activity of proteases, which are involved in the immune system response. Conclusions The amount of artificial electromagnetic field in the environment is constantly increasing, thus the honey bee is exposed to this factor. In our study, bees in the control group demonstrated the highest number of all behavior occurrences, except flying, and had the lowest activity of all types of proteases. Bees in the experimental groups showed a lower number of walking, self-grooming, and contact between individual occurrences than control bees and had higher protease activity than control bees. Our results show that an E-field is potential harmful factor to the honey bee. However, we do not know if the changes in behavior and protease activity of the honey bee after E-field exposure persist and for how long. It would be important to investigate behavior parameters and biochemical markers at different time intervals after the end of exposure to an E-field. It can be helpful to determine the interaction between the biochemical marker activity and behavioral parameters. Such an observation could provide a better understanding of the immune response of the honey bee exposing to environmental stressors. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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

PopulationNewly emerged worker honey bees

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 12 h

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Protease activity in hemolymph (proteolytic system; including alkaline proteases)
Behavior occurrences: walking, flying, self-grooming, contact between individuals, stillness, wing movement

Limitations

Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata
Short exposure duration (12 h) with no information on persistence of effects after exposure
Artificial cage-based exposure may not reflect real-world environmental conditions
Mechanistic interpretation and longer-term outcomes not established

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "artificial electric field (E-field) exposure in cages",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "12 h"
  },
  "population": "Newly emerged worker honey bees",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Protease activity in hemolymph (proteolytic system; including alkaline proteases)",
    "Behavior occurrences: walking, flying, self-grooming, contact between individuals, stillness, wing movement"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Worker bees exposed for 12 h to a 50 Hz electric field (5.0, 11.5, 23.0, or 34.5 kV/m) showed fewer occurrences of walking, self-grooming, and contacts between individuals compared with controls. Experimental groups had significantly higher protease activity than controls, except alkaline proteases in the 23.0 kV/m group.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata",
    "Short exposure duration (12 h) with no information on persistence of effects after exposure",
    "Artificial cage-based exposure may not reflect real-world environmental conditions",
    "Mechanistic interpretation and longer-term outcomes not established"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "honey bee",
    "Apis mellifera",
    "electric field",
    "50 Hz",
    "ELF",
    "kV/m",
    "behavior",
    "protease activity",
    "hemolymph",
    "immune response"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "ELF 50 Hz electric-field exposure is relevant to power-frequency environments, though this study is in bees rather than humans."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.3390/ani11030863
PubMed: Not supplied

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