Honeybees’ Behaviour in a Faraday-Shielded Hive: Mandatory Schumann Resonance for Colony Survival.

Various studies suggest that increased exposure to electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and antennas probably contributes to the disturbance or decline of insect populations. In previous experiments, the authors were able to show that mobile phones and electromagnetic pollution induce the piping or whistling signal of worker bees in stressed colonies. A Faraday shield is a conductive housing that blocks electromagnetic fields by redistributing electrical charges. It is used to shield various objects, such as electronics, from interference. In some experiments, various animal species including rodents and birds, were placed in Faraday cages. Mice housed in Faraday cages exhibited elevated levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), disturbed sleep behavior, and a reduced ability to cope with stressors. These studies suggest that the presence or absence of EMFs can affect biological processes in different animal species differently. To assess the effects of such an environment on honeybees, experiments were conducted in which honeybee colonies were kept in shielded hives.

Faraday-shielded hives were constructed by surrounding standard hives on all sides with aluminum sheets (0.7 mm thick). The entrance slot for the honeybees was shielded separately by placing metal rods in front of it. The Faraday-shielded beehive was tested in an anechoic chamber at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) to determine attenuation factors at 900 megahertz (MHz). Schumann resonance frequencies are typically 7.83 Hz and are associated with very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic waves. This study of honeybee colonies kept in two Faraday hives took place in a rural area of Switzerland near Montreux, at an altitude of 960 meters. The experiments with honeybees kept in Faraday-shielded hives began in spring 2013 and ended in mid-2024.

The analyses showed that the attenuation factors of the Faraday-shielded hive ranged from 8.6 to 28.8 dB, depending on which side was considered. This corresponds to a reduction in incoming EMF of 63–97%. During the first years (2013-2022) of studying the fate of honeybee colonies in Faraday-shielded hives, the colonies acted disoriented. The queen was no longer able to lay eggs and produce female worker bees, especially after winter. Worker bees were unable to raise new queens by feeding young eggs royal jelly, and newly built queen cells were no longer observed. After winter, no new worker bees emerged from the hive. Instead, more and more drones (males) hatched from the hexagonal cells. This showed that some worker bees had begun to lay unfertilized eggs. The result was a decline in the overall population. To counteract the observed population decline, a mated queen from a reputable supplier was introduced to the hive. Unfortunately, this did not help maintain viable honeybee colonies. Inserting queen cells or virgin queens from another hive was also ineffective. The colonies were always provided with sufficient food, space, and protection from pests and diseases to ensure resilience and the ability to raise a new queen. Unfortunately, all these efforts and procedures were unsuccessful. Long-term colony survival, stability, and productivity were never achieved in a Faraday-protected hive. It eventually became apparent that the presence of a Schumann generator was critical to the long-term well-being of EMF-shielded honeybee colonies. In mid-April 2022, two honeybee colonies were relocated from "normal" hives to Faraday-shielded hives. Schumann generators were placed in these Faraday-shielded hives at the same time. This allowed the colonies to survive until mid-June 2024.

The honeybee was one of the first animal species for which the existence of a magnetic sense was proposed. Two main hypotheses explain how bee species detect the geomagnetic field (GMF): the ferromagnetic hypothesis and the biochemical hypothesis. Schumann resonance is a natural electromagnetic phenomenon in the Earth's atmosphere that occurs between the surface and the ionosphere. It consists of standing electromagnetic waves in the extremely low frequency (ELF) range. These natural electromagnetic fields actually appear to act as environmental stimuli that influence biological rhythms and the development of various organisms. An experimental setup with Faraday-shielded beehives significantly reduces the external electromagnetic field and provides good protection against Schumann resonance. The queen bee, the central reproductive organ of a bee colony, could experience effects in a Faraday cage due to the absence of geomagnetic input. Although the queen bee is less directly dependent on navigation than worker bees, the absence of geomagnetic fields in a Faraday cage could have cascading effects on her health, behavior, and reproductive performance. These effects could indirectly destabilize the entire colony because the queen's well-being is critical to the hive's functioning and survival.

Editor's notes:

This study clearly shows that it would not be a good idea for concerned beekeepers with hives close to a mobile phone base station or high-voltage transmission line to heavily shield their hives with a Faraday cage, as used in this study, unless the hives are also equipped with Schumann resonance generators. (AT)