RF Safe

Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) on honey bee queen development and mating success

2019 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1909

Honey bee queen larvae exposed to mobile phone RF-EMF (GSM 900 MHz) for 14 days had a significantly reduced hatching ratio, with mortalities occurring during pupation rather than larval stages. Mating success was not adversely affected, and surviving treated …

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019
Study typeanimal
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) on honey bee queen development and mating success Odemer R, Odemer F. Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) on honey bee queen development and mating success. Science of The Total Environment. 661:553-562. April 15, 2019. Highlights • Chronic RF-EMF exposure significantly reduced hatching of honey bee queens. • Mortalities occurred during pupation, not at the larval stages. • Mating success was not adversely affected by the irradiation. • After the exposure, surviving queens were able to establish intact colonies. Abstract Mobile phones can be found almost everywhere across the globe, upholding a direct point-to-point connection between the device and the broadcast tower. The emission of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) puts the surrounding environment inevitably into contact with this radiation. We have therefore exposed honey bee queen larvae to the radiation of a common mobile phone device (GSM band at 900 MHz) during all stages of their pre-adult development including pupation. After 14 days of exposure, hatching of adult queens was assessed and mating success after further 11 days, respectively. Moreover, full colonies were established of five of the untreated and four of the treated queens to contrast population dynamics. We found that mobile phone radiation had significantly reduced the hatching ratio but not the mating success. If treated queens had successfully mated, colony development was not adversely affected. We provide evidence that mobile phone radiation may alter pupal development, once succeeded this point, no further impairment has manifested in adulthood. Our results are discussed against the background of long-lasting consequences for colony performance and the possible implication on periodic colony losses. Conclusions Even though detrimental effects on ontogenetic queen development were revealed by the outcome of our study, caution is needed in interpreting these results. So far, there have been no serious records of colony losses associated with mobile phone radiation. Moreover, we have created by far a worst case operator scenario to which honey bee colonies would not be exposed under realistic beekeeping conditions. Duration and level were similar to average operator exposure by the use of a mobile phone, but not to those present at an apiary, neither in rural nor in urban areas. And yet, queens that survived the treatment were able to establish full functional colonies, demonstrating an immense recovering potential. Therefore we do not assume any acute negative effects on bee health in the mid-term. However,we do not rule out an influence through lower doses of permanent irradiation, in particular on a chronic sublethal level present in major city environments. Hence, we urgently suggest further research should be carried out in the long-term to ascertain what impacts are to be expected in the context of a suitable risk assessment for electromagnetic fields on bee health. sciencedirect.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 directionmixed
PopulationHoney bee (Apis mellifera) queen larvae/queens
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 14 days exposure during all stages of pre-adult development (including pupation); mating success assessed after further 11 days
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Honey bee queen larvae exposed to mobile phone RF-EMF (GSM 900 MHz) for 14 days had a significantly reduced hatching ratio, with mortalities occurring during pupation rather than larval stages. Mating success was not adversely affected, and surviving treated queens that mated were able to establish functional colonies without observed adverse effects on colony development in this study.

Outcomes measured

  • Queen hatching ratio (hatching of adult queens)
  • Mortality timing across development stages (larval vs pupation)
  • Mating success
  • Colony establishment/population dynamics after mating

Limitations

  • Worst-case exposure scenario stated by authors; not representative of realistic apiary exposure conditions
  • Duration and level described as similar to average operator exposure but not to levels at an apiary (rural or urban)
  • Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata
  • Long-term effects and effects of lower-dose permanent irradiation not assessed
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "14 days exposure during all stages of pre-adult development (including pupation); mating success assessed after further 11 days"
  },
  "population": "Honey bee (Apis mellifera) queen larvae/queens",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Queen hatching ratio (hatching of adult queens)",
    "Mortality timing across development stages (larval vs pupation)",
    "Mating success",
    "Colony establishment/population dynamics after mating"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Honey bee queen larvae exposed to mobile phone RF-EMF (GSM 900 MHz) for 14 days had a significantly reduced hatching ratio, with mortalities occurring during pupation rather than larval stages. Mating success was not adversely affected, and surviving treated queens that mated were able to establish functional colonies without observed adverse effects on colony development in this study.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Worst-case exposure scenario stated by authors; not representative of realistic apiary exposure conditions",
    "Duration and level described as similar to average operator exposure but not to levels at an apiary (rural or urban)",
    "Sample size not reported in provided abstract/metadata",
    "Long-term effects and effects of lower-dose permanent irradiation not assessed"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
    "RF-EMF",
    "mobile phone radiation",
    "GSM",
    "900 MHz",
    "honey bee",
    "queen development",
    "pupation",
    "hatching",
    "mating success",
    "colony development"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure source is a common mobile phone device (GSM 900 MHz) used to irradiate queen larvae."
    }
  ]
}
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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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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