Mobile phone masts.

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Matt77

House Bee
Joined
Dec 4, 2014
Messages
105
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Location
Leicestershire
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
4
Morning all, I know this has been discussed previously & I have been through some old posts, but as most of the posts are several years old I wondered what the current feeling towards them is?

I have been offered a nice site by a local farmer but there is a phone mast about 150m from where the hive will be. Do any of you keep bees in close proximity to mobile phone masts?
 
I would not like to live under one and knowing how much more sensitive bees are to the environment I would not like my bees that close to one ... but they would get a good phone signal - definite 5 bars !
 
What effects do you think a mobile phone mast 150m away would have on bees?
 
I've never noticed bees reacting to a mobile phone (ie. a small, weak mobile transmitter), even when it's very close to them. So I can't see why they would have a problem with a larger, more powerful mobile transmitter much further away. Bear in mind that the signal from a transmitter 30 metres away will be 1000 times weaker than if it was 1 metre away.
 
I've never noticed bees reacting to a mobile phone (ie. a small, weak mobile transmitter), even when it's very close to them. So I can't see why they would have a problem with a larger, more powerful mobile transmitter much further away. Bear in mind that the signal from a transmitter 30 metres away will be 1000 times weaker than if it was 1 metre away.

good point, how many beeks carry a mobile phone when they inspect?
It outputs a signal with the same characteristics as the mast, and in rural areas, your mobile will be pumping out as strong a signal as it can because it'll be further from the mast.

So...
carrying a mobile phone when only 150m from a mobile mast will have less effect on the bees than if your apiary is miles from the nearest phone mast !
 
Ha ha! so we need more masts to save the bees:hurray:

To be honest Wessexmario I'm not sure what effect I was expecting it to have on the bees, kind of why I asked the question. It appears maybe I'm worrying too much.
 
We have had some hives in the same field as a phone mast for 25 + years and we've never seen a problem with the bees or thier honey production because of it.

Perhaps these bees of ours don't have mobile phone though, as they would be less productive if they did, knowing how much it affect us beeks productivity as we keep checking texts and messages :)
 
I know a place where there are some uk white clawed crayfish living near a phone mast, they are just glad theres no signal.:icon_204-2:
 
I have three colonies a field away from a mobile phone mast and about 200m away from an aircraft navigation beacon and they seem quite happy with things
 
I hear what everyone says but .... do you REALLY know that they have no effect on the bees ?

There have been lots of studies on the levels of EMF at various distances from various sizes of mobile phone masts ... the general recommendations are that they should not be sited closer than 80m to human habitation and not within 400m of a school.. although some studies have shown that peak EMF measurements have, in certain locations, been found as far as 800m from the mast.

It's a bit like the neonics debate and the genetically modified food debate - there are those who are concerned, those who are not concerned and those who really don't know. I'm probably in the latter category and erring on the side of caution - would I like my bees living next to a mast ? No more than I would like living next to one ... the long term effects are yet to be proven - we've only had the proliferation of mobile phones really for the last 15 years ... will the next generation suffer as a result ? The jury is out ...
 
In many ways I agree, but what can be the bigger killer is the stress of worrying about it !
 
In many ways I agree, but what can be the bigger killer is the stress of worrying about it !

I don't worry about much at all apart from what my bees are doing ... anything else that is worrying I tend to avoid by one way or another - you are right - stress can be completely debilitating and will kill you if you let it !
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone. Some intereseting answers but I'm a bit disapointed with the lack of bee/phone puns & jokes. Vodadrone for example? I'll get my coat!

I've also searched through the BBKA forum too, it turns up pretty much the same set of responses. Seems plenty of people keep bees in close proximty to these things. Although I'm with Pargyle, not sure I'd want one outside my front door!

I think I'll give the site a go, its spot on in other respects.

Cheers all.
 

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