Increased aggression and reduced aversive learning in honey bees exposed to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields

Abstract

Overview

Honey bees, Apis mellifera, play a critical role in pollination globally but are experiencing declines due to multiple environmental stressors. Among these, extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMFs), commonly emitted from sources like power lines, have been implicated in affecting bee cognitive and behavioral functions.

Findings

• Bees exposed to ELF EMFs for 17 hours showed a significant decrease in aversive learning abilities and an increase in aggressive behaviors.
• Effects were noted at both 100 μT and 1000 μT exposure levels, with over 20% reduction in learning and a 60% increase in aggression in response to unfamiliar bees.

Conclusion

This study suggests that short-term exposure to field-realistic levels of ELF EMFs can adversely affect critical behavioral traits in honey bees. These changes might affect the ecological dynamics by impairing bees' ability to respond to threats and could contribute to their declining populations under certain environmental conditions.