RF Safe

An experimental study on the effect of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on honey bees.

Electromagnetic biology and medicine · 2025 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 5815

Due to the increase in data rate in mobile communication and the widespread use of mobile internet, electromagnetic communication systems are increasing daily. This situation causes increases in the use of more mobile communication devices and environmental n…

Study snapshot

PublicationElectromagnetic biology and medicine · 2025
Study typeanimal
Reported directionUnclear
Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Due to the increase in data rate in mobile communication and the widespread use of mobile internet, electromagnetic communication systems are increasing daily. This situation causes increases in the use of more mobile communication devices and environmental non-ionizing Electromagnetic Field (EMF) levels. The rise of bee deaths and colony losses in beekeeping parallel to the increase of the EMF sources cause the concept of "electromagnetic pollution" to be considered among the reasons. Therefore, studying the effects of non-ionizing Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) on the health of living things is one of the most significant issues today. The bees determine their direction with the Earth's magnetic field. Electromagnetic signals emitted by GSM base stations, etc. may affect the direction-finding capabilities of honey bees and constitute a stress factor. In this study, the aim was to determine the effect of EMF on honey bees and honey yield. Honey bee colonies were used, obtained from the same farm in the Trabzon region, and equalized in all respects. Moreover, these colonies were divided into five groups randomly as experiments and control groups. The experiment hives were exposed to the EMF in the frequency band of the Wi-Fi signals (2.4 GHz) and the high-voltage line (50 hz). The control hives are located far away from the EMR sources. The study was repeated in the second year to confirm the results. During the investigation, some physiological and behavioural effects of bees, such as aggressiveness, brood area, etc. were determined based on EMR exposure.

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 directionunclear
PopulationHoney bees (colonies) from a farm in the Trabzon region
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF and ELF · 2400 MHz
Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 63% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Due to the increase in data rate in mobile communication and the widespread use of mobile internet, electromagnetic communication systems are increasing daily. This situation causes increases in the use of more mobile communication devices and environmental n…

Outcomes measured

  • honey yield
  • aggressiveness
  • brood area
  • physiological effects (unspecified)
  • behavioural effects (unspecified)

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in abstract
  • Exposure duration/intensity metrics not reported (e.g., field strength, SAR)
  • Specific physiological/behavioural endpoints and results not reported in abstract
  • Details of group allocation (number of colonies per group) not reported
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF and ELF",
    "source": "wi-fi and high-voltage line",
    "frequency_mhz": 2400,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Honey bees (colonies) from a farm in the Trabzon region",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "honey yield",
    "aggressiveness",
    "brood area",
    "physiological effects (unspecified)",
    "behavioural effects (unspecified)"
  ],
  "main_findings": null,
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure duration/intensity metrics not reported (e.g., field strength, SAR)",
    "Specific physiological/behavioural endpoints and results not reported in abstract",
    "Details of group allocation (number of colonies per group) not reported"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.63,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "non-ionizing electromagnetic fields",
    "electromagnetic radiation",
    "honey bees",
    "colony losses",
    "Wi-Fi",
    "2.4 GHz",
    "high-voltage line",
    "50 Hz",
    "aggressiveness",
    "brood area",
    "honey yield"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Exposure included Wi‑Fi band (2.4 GHz), though in an animal (bee) experiment rather than a school setting."
    },
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.15,
      "reason": "Includes high-voltage line (50 Hz) exposure source, but context is beekeeping/field setting; occupational relevance not explicit."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1080/15368378.2024.2445109
PubMed: 39721035

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