The Effects of High-Voltage Transmission Lines on Honey Bees

摘要

Data are reported on the effect of hive height and current distribution on honey bees hived under a 765 kV line (E-field ca. 7 kV/m). Hive height was stan¬dardized with adjustable collectors to 1 meter (59 µA total hive current) or 1.5 meter (85 µA) equivalents;controls were shielded. A 1.5 meter group with complete¬ly painted supers was included.. After 8 or 16 weeks of exposure there was no ef¬fect on honey moisture content or weight of young workers in any group. Worker capped brood was not affected in 1 m hives but declined significantly in 1.5 m hives after 4 weeks of exposure and this was associated with queen loss, abnormal queen cell production, and colony failure.