Bees Communicate With Electric Fields

sciencehabit writes "The electric fields that build up on honey bees as they fly, flutter their wings, or rub body parts together may allow the insects to talk to each other, a new study suggests. Tests show that the electric fields, which can be quite strong, deflect the bees' antennae, which, in turn, provide signals to the brain through specialized organs at their bases. Antenna deflections induced by an electrically charged honey bee wing are about 10 times the size of those that would be caused by airflow from the wing fluttering at the same distance—a sign that electrical fields could be an important signal."

Comments

Unexplained Collapses???

[Anonymous Coward]

So, this may suggest that our ever increasing use of EM may be responsible for colony collapse disorders.

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[Darinbob]

Unexplained? We've had several stories about bees and pesticides, including just today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21958547.
It's only unexplained if you think there's something more sinister at work than common poison.

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, the mass extinction of bees lately has been traced back to a Bayer pesticide. One of the most used ones. I saw a press release or something where Bayer themselves admitted to it in a convoluted way.

Strangely, a few days later, it couldn't be found anymore, and a "article" on Snopes popped up, calling it "fake", based on bullshit references that were horribly bad and didn't state anything, and vague unsubstantiated claims.

I'm sorry. I have seen Bayer admitting it. On their own site. And no statement about being "hacked" of something ever left Bayer after that. Which they could easily have done.

This, among other things that I myself *actually* checked and found to be not correct, is why I don't trust Snopes anymore. Apparently they fabricate whatever they want, if you pay them enough money.

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently they fabricate whatever they want, if you pay them enough money.

I wonder if that's true. I should go look it up on Snopes...

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[Warma]

Everything suggests that EM hypersensitivity does not exist. Not one person suffering from it has been able to prove that he could, directly or indirectly, sense an electric or magnetic field of any magnitude.

If you have the supernatural ability you state to possess, please demonstrate it for science. This will benefit society greatly.

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[mat8913]

Obligatory XKCD: http://xkcd.com/250/

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[wonkey_monkey]

I saw a press release or something

That sounds like the new "bloke down the pub said."

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[SuricouRaven]

No, this is electrostatic field communication. Radio or even microwave isn't going to have any effect on it. Even the shorter wavelengths, down to the visible range, can be ignored for all but a few materials that demonstrate light-dependant resistance (Handy in photocopiers).

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[HeckRuler]

I can tell you WITHIN SECONDS of turning on a variety of appliances BLINDFOLDED and from up to 5 meters distance.

Yeah, my fridge buzzes too.

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[pac109]

http://www.cropscience.bayer.com/en/Media/Backgrounds/Safety-of-clothianidin-to-bee.aspx?overviewId=01BC0BC0-950A-4B79-8643-B64CB395744E

"The bee die-offs which occurred in spring 2008 in Southwest Germany as the result of faulty application of the active ingredient clothianidin set off a controversial discussion on the use of pesticides for seed treatments."

This admission?

Re:Unexplained Collapses???

[Cramer]

To be even remotely "scientific", someone ELSE has to turn it on and off completely without the subject's knowledge. That's what numerous studies have done, and shown no statistical corelation. (translation: the subjects are guessing.)

Question for Mr Gil Grissom...

[rmdingler]

I wonder if this can be linked in any way to the dramatic drop in honeybee populations? Does the population drop-off begin near the implementation of any new wireless technology? Correlation may not lead to causation, but it has been known to lead to wild speculation.

Re:Question for Mr Gil Grissom...

[Anonymous Coward]

Unlikely - the frequencies of the wireless technologies are many orders of magnitude higher than anything associated with a physical wing vibration. The dramatic drop in honeybee population is more likely tied to certain nicotine-derived insecticides. Hmm, an insecticide harming insects? Didn't see that one coming.

True Bee fact

[SternisheFan]

Over it's lifetime the average bee will produce only 1/10 of a teaspoon of honey.

The more you know...

Re:True Bee fact

[similar_name]

But if you could interbreed African bees with European bees you could get the higher production of African bees in tropical environments with the docile behavior of European bees. Of course you'd want to make sure and keep them under tight wraps until you get the kinks worked out. :)

Re:True Bee fact

[Monkey-Man2000]

But if you could interbreed African bees with European bees you could get the higher production of African bees in tropical environments with the docile behavior of European bees. Of course you'd want to make sure and keep them under tight wraps until you get the kinks worked out. :)

Indeed.

Re:I am shocked

[similar_name]

Evolution is pretty cool. At that scale static becomes a bigger part of the environment. It makes sense that it might be incorporated and improved upon. I've often wondered. We see electromagnetic waves with nerves that pick up different wavelengths. If brains also put out electromagnetic waves it seems that at least from a biological standpoint it wouldn't be too far fetched for a nerve mutation to pick those up. Perhaps a crude telepathy could develop or a better sense for when someone's standing behind you.

Waggle dance

[Spottywot]

It occurred to me initially, that if the effect is only really noticeable after flight then the only information that they could usefully communicate by this method would be how recently they had completed a flight. It then occurred to me that bees perform a waggle dance which is believed to instruct other bees in the hive where to find food sources. The electrostatic effect on the antenna would be most effective at this time, and also seems to solve one of my issues with the waggle dance theory, which is that it seems most effective as a visual form of communication when viewed from above, which of course the bees do not do.The electrostatic explanation would work, as the dance could manipulate the antennea in the manner of an operator inputting directions using a joystick.

Re:I am shocked

[msauve]

"Bees Communicate With Electric Fields"

So, what do the electric fields have to say? Should we be welcoming our electric field overlords?

Re:I am shocked

[osu-neko]

Sure, why not? After all, fish invented tasers long before we did, why not other electric toys?

I thought it was the changed import rules on bees.

[Ungrounded Lightning]

Colony collapse has ALREADY been explained by pesticides, specifically a pesticide made by Bayer AG.

Really? That's interesting.

I was under the impression that it was most likely caused by the relaxation of import restrictions on bees into the US from areas which had significant bee diseases and parasites which were not (yet) present in the US. From what I hear these occurred shortly (like a couple years) before the "collapse" phenomenon was noticed.

I'll have to see if I can find the claims and research reports you refer to. (Citations from you would be nice.)

Italy bans bee killing pesticide, Bees recover

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/38233

"The Italian government banned the use of several neonicotinoid pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. The Ministero del Lavoro della Salute e delle Politiche Sociali issued an immediate suspension of the seed treatment products clothianidin, imidacloprid, fipronil and thiamethoxam used in rapeseed oil, sunflowers and sweetcorn. The Italian government will start a monitoring program to further investigate the reasons of recent bee deaths."

Where the ban has been in place, Bee collony collapses are dramatically reduced. So no, it's the bug killer that kills the bugs. Who'd have thunk it!

Re:I am shocked

[Samantha Wright]

If you haven't died of a heart attack yet, plants beat us to finding a use for quantum entanglement, too.

Re:I am shocked

[oztiks]

So you're shocked by the fact that Bees use electricity to communicate?

Is that like being puzzled to learn that Mice can find cheese in a maze?

Re:I am shocked

[ahabswhale]

Bees have been evolving for over 100 million years and they've evolved from wasps which have been evolving for over 400 million years IIRC. Only humanity has the hubris to underestimate creatures that could survive for so long. I would expect they will still be here long after we're gone.

Don't feel too bad; biologists are notorious for underestimating the creatures on this planet. It wouldn't surprise me if we we're a good 100 years behind the knowledge we should have about them because of it.

Re:I am shocked

[cheater512]

I have *NOT* heard of fish dildos before. Please do share.

Note to OP:

[rmdingler]

The likelihood of anyone noticing you quoted something in the article is on the order of plucking a single hair from a mosquito's back wearing boxing gloves.