Contributed photo/
INSIDE
Gene Helfman
A herring school in Shoal Bay. “This year’s herring class appears to be a good one,” said the photographer.
Upcoming Hikes
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Skagit bridge update
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How to deal with raccoons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
The buzz about EMF By Madrona Murphy and Russel Barsh
Many people are concerned these days about the effects of cellphones, Wifi and similar devices on
bees. Most scientists that study pollinators are more concerned about pesticides, however. Indeed, the European Commission voted in April 2013 to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in EU member countries, while no comparable action has been taken to address claims that radio frequency signals cause bee colony collapse. So what’s behind the buzz over cellphones? The experimental evidence is limited to a few studies that placed cordless phone bases or cell phones in honeybee hives and observed changes in behav-
Clean, freshly-ground island wood mulch • $35 a yard for a single grind • $40 a yard for double grind
• Locally screened top soil $35 a yard Delivered with a 10 yard minimum
Call Sam 468-3000
ior. In one study, bees made warning sounds (“piping”) in the presence of active cell phones. In another study, bees were less likely to return to hives where electronic devices had been installed. Bees’ ability to detect and avoid an electromagnetic field does not by itself establish that EMF harms bees. Beekeepers know that piping is a response to many kinds of foreign objects. Our own bodies sense heat far below the level at which it is harmful. We taste a grain of salt (not harmful) as well as a bucket of seawater (quite bad to drink), and we smell tiny traces of sulfur dioxide (“rotten eggs”) at well below hazardous levels. Can so-called “electrosmog” (total ambient radio frequency EMF) interfere
The
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 36, NUMBER 26 • June 25, 2013
Contributed photo
Can radio frequency signals coming from cellphones cause bee colony collapse? with bee navigation? Some animals appear to orient themselves and navigate using the earth’s magnetic field, including pigeons,
Lopez Center Wednesday, July 3, 7:30 pm
Abbey Road LIVE! Outdoors weather permitting Great dance band $15/adult $8/youth Lopez Bookshop, Blossom Grocery, Paper Scissors, www.lopezcenter.org
fruit flies, and some bats. Radio frequency EMF is not magnetic, however, unlike the low frequency EMF generated by power lines. Honeybees and bumblebees appear to be mainly visual navigators, moreover, using the angle of the sun and internal biological clocks to compute their positions. Bumblebees have also been observed making short test flights and looking back to their nests, apparently making visual maps of their vicinity. And a study just published last fall discovered that bumblebees compute the shortest routes
Lopez Lions July 4th 10K Run 5K Run & Walk 1 Mile Romp
See buzz, page 8 Dear ones! Celebrate our 35th anniversary!
Pre-register Tues. & Wed. July 2nd & 3rd at the Market noon - 4 Save $5
will be presenting our fantastic 4th of July show soon! We are supported solely by your donations! When you see our donation cans at your local stores, please give generously & show your Lopezian spirit! Thank you for your support & enthusiasm.
See you there!
Registration at Islanders Bank July 4 Adults $30 with T-Shirt, $20 without; 12 and under $25 with T-Shirt, $15 without; 7-8:10 am Start time 8:30 am sharp
Tues. & Fri. 9–3 Phone: 4748
C rowfoot farm
Meet the artists View their new work
Lopez Center — Outdoor Pavilion After the parade 11:30 am — 2 pm Hamburgers and Veggie Burgers with all the fix’ns Chips, soda or juice $10 MC—Bill Johnson
to flower patches before they leave their nests. When a bumblebee lands on a flower to collect nectar and pollen, it discharges the flower’s weak static electric charge. Research published earlier this year shows that bees avoid flowers that have been discharged. Presumably they can sense the charge, the way we humans sense static electricity in our hair. This still does not link bee behavior with radio frequency EMF, any more than the human ability to feel and hear static electricity demonstrates that we can feel radio frequency transmissions. Dr. Albert Manville of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in an official 2009 review of the
• Molly Preston • Scott Hatch •Lane Langford • Colin Goode
RECEPTION Friday, June 28 5 – 7 pm
Colin Goode Gallery & Studio 95 Village Road
Join us for cake! June 30, 1 -3 p.m.
Our Buns are Back! Stop by and say hello! Opening Wed. April 3 Wed.-Sat. 7-5 • Sun. 7-4 Closed Mon. & Tues.
468-2133
Holly B’s is open Weds. through Mon., 7 - 5, Sun., 7 - 4 p.m., closed Tues. 468-2133
Pianist Dan Kennedy in Concert
Friday, July 12, 7:30 pm Lopez Center
Admission: By Donation www.dankennedy.us