Bee Mystery

Are bee colonies really collapsing? Are cell phones the cause? It's a theory--with holes--as this story points out:

No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have
drawbacks.

German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines.

Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.

Very disturbing. Above and to the right is a pic of a bee colony that took up residence in a bricked fence post at the back of my yard. Last summer, we hired an exterminator who rid us of the "problem." However, over the winter, fissures have developed in the the caulk he used to seal the post--and the bees are back.

If there is indeed something causing a decline in bee populations, I guess I'll leave my colony to its own devices for now.