The Unity of Biology and Ecology with Spirit
Mysteries of Magnetism
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The Buzz on Beezz
On June 28, 1996, Jane Beckman wrote:
This bee die-off is nearly unprecedented. I've been on the bee biology list a long time, and there's been no record of a bee die-off of this magnitude. One also can't attribute it to mite resistance from miticide use. First folks to experience near-100% die-off had untreated hives. After two years, alarms started to sound, and miticide was the *only* way most beekeepers have survived. Now even that doesn't look like it will work, with PMS popping up to "supplement" mites. (BTW, law requires Apistan can only be used when no honey is being brought into the hive—in winter; all miticide must be removed from the hive before spring honey flow begins.)
My own bees—normally gentle enough I work them without any protective gear—were very grouchy last year. They'd try to run me off if I came anywhere near the hive, and I had to wear protective clothing for the first time! This year, they seem back their sweet, gentle selves. So, what was it about last year?
I read once that some believe bees are somehow tuned in to the planet's electromagnetics, and it's one of the systems they use to navigate. So, if the bees are grouchy, or dying, what does this say about geoelectromagnetics?
On July 8, 1996, David Yarrow wrote:
In part, this is because bees pollinate flowers. Grasses and legumes self pollinate; many other angiosperms (flowering plants) are wind pollinated. But a great number need insects—mainly bees—to transfer male pollen to female ovaries. In gardens these include curcurbits (squash, melon, cucumber), brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, turnip, kale, radish, mustard, brussels sprout, etc.) and nightshades (tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant). Without bees, the reproductive cycle of these plant families is broken—or at least severely weakened.
Actually, the bee population crash isn't sudden. Bee mites—usually blamed as the plague decimating hives—have been a serious and growing threat to bees for more than a decade. But like HIV in AIDS, bee mites are an "opportunistic infection" and only a symptom—not a cause.
Some writers noted bees are magnetically sensitive and wondered if collapsing bee colonies indicate changing geomagnetism. Wise words—a peek into a dark mystery. Earth's magnetic field is indeed undergoing rapid changes in intensity, polarity, frequency, phase, and topography.
My encounters with bees convince me they detect, react, and navigate magnetic flux. The idea of a "beeline" contains the notion of a magnetic, straightline compass bearing. I've seen bees deflected from straight flight lines by magnetic fields from ballast transformers in fluorescent lights. You can bet abnormal bee-havior—including population drops—indicates disturbed magnetic flux.
In 1990 I wrote:
Part 2: Spin the Tale on the Dragon [Note: EM=electromagnetism; ELF=extremely low frequency] To understand magnetism's role in life, a first step is to show that organisms have intrinsic EM fields. In the 1940s, Harold Saxton Burr of Yale University devised the first electronic voltmeter able to measure as little as .001 volt. Burr used his new extra-sensitive tool to map electric fields in living organisms. Burr's work with DC electric potentials was ignored by most biologists, but some went on to develop EEG, EKG and EMG which measure a body's pulsating AC electricity. A second step is to show organisms can sense EM. In the 1950s, Frank Brown, endocrinologist at Northwestern, found snails have two antennae to detect magnetic direction which they use to navigate. Most scientists dismissed this as impossible, yet Brown went on to show geomagnetism affects all organisms he tested, including mice, bees, fruit flies, potatoes, and humans. In 1960, Andus discovered magnetotrophism—magnetic effects on growth: oat shoots and cress roots grow oriented to magnetic fields. Later, scientists found corn pollen tubes grow oriented to magnetic fields, maybe due to changes in intercellular calcium ion flow. Magnetism is known to alter biochemical reactions by influencing electron spin states in reacting molecules, such as electrons in photosynthetic bacteria. In 1971, naturalist Richard Blakemore of Woods Hole Marine Biology Lab noticed that bacteria collected from Cape Cod marshes crowded to the north side of culture dishes. He rotated the plates, and bacteria migrated back to north. Using a new tool—an electron microscope—he found tiny micro-crystals chains of magnetite in bacteria are a compass. These were unit cell crystals—smallest a magnetite crystal can be. He then took north-seeking bacteria to the southern hemisphere. They continued to swim north a few weeks, then "turned tail" and began swimming south. Electron microscopy revealed they'd disassembled and rebuilt the magnetite crystals to adapt to a changed magnetic pole. Bacteria don't "think" north; they become a compass. Also in the 70s, Bill Keeton at Cornell University reported homing pigeons with magnets on the back of their heads lost their navigational ability on cloudy days. Further study of pigeons with Helmholtz EM coils on their heads showed they use magnetic north as their reference point. Beehives, too, were enclosed by Helmholtz coils—and bees became disoriented in their navigational dances. Without question birds and bees derive directional data from magnetic sensing of geomagnetism. The question now was: how? Another breakthrough came in '71: Brian Josephson invented a crystal semiconductor to make possible Superconducting QUantum Interference Detectors (SQUID)—which are extremely sensitive to magnetism. This new tool brought a scientific revolution: Bioelectro-magnetics. One first thing found by SQUID was delicate magnetic fields about our head. Whole bees were found to be magnetic. SQUIDs can locate where magnetic material is in an organism. Magnetite was found in all species studied. Bee magnetism seems to be in their abdomen. Pigeons have a magnetite crystal cluster wrapped in nerves on brain surface between left lobe and skull. Magnetic sensing is found in whales, tuna, dolphins, butterflies, frogs, worms, migrating birds. Labs train animals to detect minute magnetic fields. Organisms from algae to man use this inner sense to orient and navigate. Dr. Robin Baker of England's Manchester University has shown humans have their own magnetic compass. With minimal training, people display innate ability to locate magnetic north. Further, in various experiments, Baker has shown human homing ability—people easily learn to choose the correct direction home from any location. Most intriguing, direction sensing is lost if a magnet is held on the forehead 15 minutes. In primates and humans, this newfound magnetic organ is sited behind the ethmoid sinus in front of the pituitary gland. It can detect less than .001 gauss within a second of arc—far more sensitive than our best compass. This gives new meaning to the traditional common sense advice to "follow your nose." In pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, a blindfolded kid is spun around, then tries to stick a tail on a paper donkey. This ages-old game is no child's amusement but training exercise in magnetic sensing. Blindfolded kids learn to orient & home to successfully tack a tail on a donkey's derriere. It's been shown organisms respond to magnetism far below levels once thought theoretically possible. Man's power and communications systems use extensive portions of the EM spectrum. Effects of this on humans is virtually unknown. Is modern man lost in his own thick EM fog? His cells choking in noisy EM smog? Slowly drowning in ELF waves from power transformers? Just a few fundamental facts on magnetism and bees. Rather ho hum, and humdrum. But now it's time to learn Why Beezz Buzz. ~ David Yarrow, the green turtle |
David Yarrow — Turtle EyeLand — dyarrow@nycap.rr.com — www.championtrees.org/yarrow — updated 3/21/2000