Extra-high voltage transmission lines: mechanisms of biological effects on honeybees. Final report

Technical Report · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:5375580

Greenberg, B; Bindokas, V

The authors confirmed that bee exposure to E fields, including 100 kV/m, under the dry conditions cause no detectable effect on colony behavior. If, however, exposure occurs when moisture is present, or if bees are on a conductive surface, they become visibly disturbed, mortality is increased, abnormal propolization occurs, and colony development may be impaired. It seems plausible that bees on conductive surfaces within a hive under a 765-kV/m transmission line can perceive shocks from body currents induced by enhanced intra-hive E fields. Hives exposed under a 765-kV/m transmission line to an ambient E field of 7 kV/m have internal step-potential-induced currents and interchamber chort-circuit currents which range from one-half to several microamperes. Total hive currents can exceed 100 ..mu..A. Thus, induced hive currents exceed the empirical sting threshold by up to a factor of 100 and the E-field-induced body current by up to a factor of 1000. The degree of disturbance which could be produced by these intra-hive currents will eclipse that produced by perception of E-field-induced body currents. The authors therefore attribute the disturbance of colonies under a transmission line primarily to electric shock from induced hive currents. 10 refs., 51 figs., 18 tabs. (DT)

• Research Organization: Bioconcern, Inc., Chicago, IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5375580
• Report Number(s): EPRI-EA-4218; ON: TI85920861
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560400* -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
BEES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CURRENTS
DATA
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HUMIDITY
HYMENOPTERA
INFORMATION
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
MOISTURE
NUMERICAL DATA
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES