Insects in general

Because most studies show an effect, a German-language review article on the effects of electromagnetic fields on insects ^[1] concludes that electromagnetic fields could have a serious impact on the vitality of insect populations. Various alleged harmful effects are mentioned. Many of these are biological effects that do not necessarily have to be harmful with respect to behaviour. Others occur only in frequency ranges that cannot be assigned to mobile communications. For a proof of an actual causal relationship, several studies of high quality would have to have consistently shown this relationship between EMF and the aforementioned harmful effects. The author himself admits that the studies were mostly not replicated. It is also unclear how the quality of the individual studies was assessed in the review. The author separates studies on the basis of quality criteria but does not name them. Blinding and the use of a well-defined exposure device were apparently not relevant criteria because predominantly studies that used conventional devices for exposure were included. Such studies are then limited in their informative value and contribute little to the evaluation of a causal relationship. The author also does not consistently distinguish between effects and mechanisms of action documented for static and low-frequency fields (perception, behaviour, orientation according to the Earth’s magnetic field) and the effects of high-frequency fields.

Another review ^[2] focuses on the possible involvement of high-frequency electromagnetic fields of mobile communications in insect mortality and warns against the introduction of 5G. The author comprehensively summarises the available literature on the effects of electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields on insects. He does not address the quality of individual publications and does not make any quality assessment. He quotes the individual studies selectively, tendentiously, and inaccurately. From studies done exclusively on ants, he concludes bee mortality. A whole series of studies on bees and ants with end devices such as DECT, WLAN, and mobile phones are listed as arguments for the harmfulness of base stations in the field. Indications from the range of low-frequency and high-frequency fields below and above the limit values are shown mixed. From known effects and mechanisms of action of low-frequency fields, the author concludes that there are also non-thermal effects with high-frequency fields and that these are harmful. Finally, arguments against 5G are derived from this. This type of reasoning does not meet scientific standards and is misleading.

The two papers mentioned on insects contradict another review specifically on effects of anthropogenic fields of all frequency ranges on pollinating insects. It was shown that there are only few good quality studies ^[3]. These show that night-time lighting in particular has negative effects on insect populations. Furthermore, laboratory studies showed that low-frequency magnetic fields such as those from power lines could affect the orientation and learning ability of bees. Studies on high-frequency fields yielded ambiguous results; depending on the location and type, both positive and negative effects were observed.

The currently much-discussed extinction of insects ^[4] already began in the early 1990s before the widespread expansion of mobile communications. Therefore, mobile communications cannot be considered as a major cause.

So far, there is only one experimental field study on the influence of electromagnetic fields of a mobile communications base station on different species of insects ^[5] (e.g. springtails, predatory bugs, parasitic wasps, fruit flies). The animals were exposed at different distances from the transmitter; control animals were shielded in metal containers. The power flux density reached a maximum of one thousandth of the limit value. The reproductive capacity of the insects was not affected under these experimental conditions.

The small body size of insects also means that relatively little energy is absorbed at the frequencies used for mobile communications. Only above 6 GHz, and especially at 12–24 GHz, does energy absorption increase ^[6]. This is particularly relevant in connection with the higher frequencies planned for 5G.

Strong high-frequency electromagnetic fields (far above the limits) can be used to kill wood pests ^[7]_. This means that toxic chemicals can be dispensed with and the environment can be protected.

References

[1] Thill, A (2020). Review - Biologische Wirkungen elektromagnetischer Felder auf Insekten. Umwelt Medizin Gesellschaft 3 (Sonderbeilage): 28.

[2] Balmori, A (2021). Electromagnetic radiation as an emerging driver factor for the decline of insects. Science of The Total Environment 767: 144913.

[3] Vanbergen AJ, Potts SG, Vian A, Malkemper EP, Young J, Tscheulin T (2019). Risk to pollinators from anthropogenic electro-magnetic radiation (EMR): Evidence and knowledge gaps. Sci Total Environ 695: 133833.

[4] Hallmann CA, Sorg M, Jongejans E, Siepel H, Hofland N, Schwan H, Stenmans W, Muller A, Sumser H, Horren T, Goulson D, de Kroon H (2017). More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas. PLoS One 12(10): e0185809.

[5] Vijver MG, Bolte JF, Evans TR, Tamis WL, Peijnenburg WJ, Musters CJ, de Snoo GR. (2014) Investigating short-term exposure to electromagnetic fields on reproductive capacity of invertebrates in the field situation. Electromagn Biol Med. 33(1): 21 - 28

[6] Thielens A, Bell D, Mortimore DB, Greco MK, Martens L, Joseph W (2018). Exposure of Insects to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields from 2 to 120 GHz. Sci Rep 8(1): 3924

[7] Kraus, M, Holzer, F, Hoyer, C, Trommler, U, Kopinke, F-D, Roland, U (2018). Chemical-free pest control by means of dielectric heating with radio waves: Selective heating. Chemical Engineering & Technology 41(1): 116-123.