Buzz Kill: How Cellphone Towers Can Quiet Your Hives

If your bees are mysteriously less active, producing fewer brood frames, or bringing in less forage - especially if your apiary is near a cellphone tower - this study offers eye-opening evidence you shouldn’t ignore.

Researchers in Baghdad set up hives at three distances from a 30 m telecommunications tower: 500 m, 150 m, and directly underneath. Over the course of three months, they tracked queen egg-laying, colony density, foraging rates, and bee body chemistry.

Cell phone tower

Key findings of the study:

• Queen Performance: The farthest colonies (500 m) had the largest brood area (293 in²) and healthiest density (5.2 frames of bees). Colonies directly under the tower had dramatically reduced brood (151 in²) and density (3.6 frames).

  
  

• Foraging Activity: Bees 500 m from the tower averaged 605 bees/hour at the entrance, compared to just 383 bees/hour under the tower. Morning activity was generally higher, but proximity to the tower consistently lowered numbers.

  
  

• Bee Physiology: Most body composition measures (moisture, protein, fat) didn’t differ significantly, but carbohydrate and ash levels did—possibly linked to radiation exposure.

  
  

• Overall Impact: Exposure to electromagnetic radiation from the tower reduced bee activity, brood production, and colony strength.

  
  

Takeaway for Beekeepers: 

If your hives are near communication towers, EMF exposure could be silently undermining your colonies’ productivity and health. Relocating apiaries, creating EMF barriers, or avoiding tower sites when placing new hives could help safeguard your bees’ performance and survival.

Read the study here: https://ijarmoa.gov.iq/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/11.pdf