What effects might exposure to electromagnetic fields have on pollinator insects?
Insects are vital to the health of the planet. With the deployment of new technologies and telecommunications protocols such as 5G, exposure to electromagnetic fields is expected to change and may negatively impact these pollinators. Therefore, one of the research areas of the ETAIN project focuses on measuring the actual impact of radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure on insects and defining thresholds of well-being.
Insects and pollinators play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem health. Advancing the existing scientific evidence of the impact of RF-EMF exposure on insects is needed due to new technology development (e.g. the current shift from 4G to 5G) in telecom networks, and its expected further proliferation and rapid diffusion.
Small animals such as insects are relatively efficient in absorbing mm-waves -the band of the RF spectrum with wavelengths between 10 millimeters (30 GHz) and 1 millimeter (300 GHz) - because their body dimensions and shape are in the mm range. Thus, the proliferation of these new technologies may increase their absorption levels. This means that pollinators, such as bees, are at risk of relatively high (peak) exposure and absorption, for instance when they’re close to powerful antennas.
There is scientific evidence that RF-EMF exposure has biological effects on insects, but its wider impacts are still unclear. For bees, specifically, it’s an open question whether this electromagnetic exposure can have an effect on honey bee colony development and, if so, to what extent and at what thresholds.
To scientifically investigate these questions and address some of the existing gaps and challenges, the ETAIN project aims to study and measure the biodiversity of insect fauna as a function of the level of RF-EMF exposure. This investigation will define thresholds for well-being, health, and productivity of honeybee colonies under 5G exposure while measuring possible changes and affection in the fitness of solitary bees species.
Digital models for insects to determine their RF-EMF dose using simulations
By developing anatomically and electromagnetically accurate 3D ElectroMagnetic (3D-EM) models of insects, the project quantifies potential effects under different RF-EMF exposure conditions and answers the question whether (non-)thermal effects in insects could occur as a consequence of these phenomena.
At the same time, an experimental field set-up for studying the impact of RF-EMF exposure on insect biodiversity and honeybees colony development and fitness will be implemented.
Effects for bottle flies, fruit flies, and solitary bees
ETAIN assess the impact of RF-EMF exposure on different species of pollinators, specifically in:
Honeybees (Apis mellifera): Honeybees present throughout Europe. They are pollinators of high ecological and economic importance.
Solitary Bees (Osmia bicornis): The solitary bee species Osmia bicornis are also present throughout Europe, and are very efficient at pollinating apples and a variety of other crops.
Blue bottle flies (Calliphora vomitoria (CV)): CV is a common European species that acts as pollinator of different (strongly scented) crops and with a developmental cycle with a known dependency on temperature. ETAIN focuses on CV to study thermal effects of RF-EMF exposure on development, building on our preliminary data showing that protocols and routines for developing 3D-EM models for CV can be made.
These results will allow the project to showcase and measure the electromagnetic parameters of insects exposed to RF-EMF fields, helping in the prediction of potential future effects, and providing recommendations to help mitigate the adverse effects on biodiversity, already fragile and very exposed.
