The Compost Bin

Is yapping on a cell phone going to lead to worldwide food shortages? Maybe so. Have you ever tried to self-pollinate something in your garden with a paintbrush? It’s not a fun job and I’m thankful for the bee’s nest that usually crops up near my garden each summer. But the food in the supermarkets comes from huge farms where self-pollination would be almost impossible.

The bee population is currently in some sort of crisis situation. The phenomenon is being called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Worker bees are leaving their hives to go about their bee business but aren’t returning. Bee colonies are being completely abandoned, save for the queen, her eggs and little baby bees that aren’t ready to take care of the hive.

CCD was first noticed in the United States and then parts of Europe. The west coast alone is thought to have lost up to 60% of their bee population. No one really knows why this is happening. But now there’s some new evidence it’s being caused by cell phones. The cell phone signals are interfering with the bee’s ability to find their colony and return to it.

This new study is making it’s rounds in the media today. And I can take a guess what’s going to happen next. The big cell phone companies are going to commission their own studies to show that cell phone aren’t the cause and then we’ll have conflicting studies.

I’m not a scientist or a beekeeper so I have no idea if this is even possible. But as a gardener, it’s definitely not good news.

With a yard full of critters and pests that try to eat my vegetable garden every chance they get, I was very happy to notice this new visitor.