Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Prospective Biomonitoring Campaign with Honey Bees in a District of Upper-Bavaria (Germany)

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In order to establish a monitoring method to track long term changes of the amount of anthropogenic contamination in a district of Bavaria (Germany), a biomonitoring campaign with honey bees was performed in spring 2002. Expected anomalies from the industry or from residential areas in the sampled district could not be detected. An anomaly over a considerable part of the sampling area correlating with other phenomena lead to the hypothesis of a prehistoric cosmic impact. Moreover a principal component analysis of the data showed evidence for a biogenic, an anthropogenic and an unknown component hypothetically related to a possible cosmic impact.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barbarosa Fuentes, M.: 1998, European Community ECO-management and Audit Scheme, Publications by the Institute for European Law at Stockholm University, Jure AB, Stockholm, Sweden

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Landesentwicklung und Umweltfragen: 2000, ‘Bayern-Agenda 21 für eine nachhaltige und zukunftsfähige Entwicklung in Bayern’, ISBN 3-910088-49-X.

  • Blevins, D. G. and Lukaszewski, K. M.: 1994, ‘Proposed physiologic functions of boron in plants pertinent to animal and human metabolism’, Environ. Health Perspect. 102(Suppl. 7), 31–33.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bromenshenk, J. J., Smith, G. C. and Watson, V. J.: 1995, ‘Assessing ecological risks in terrestrial systems with honey bees’, in: F. M. Butterworth (ed.), Biomonitors and Biomarkers as Indicators of Environmental Change, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 9–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bromenshenk, J. J., Cronn, R. C. and Nugent, J. J.: 1996, ‘Monitoring fluoride with honey bees in the upper snake river plain of idaho’, J. Environ. Qual. 25, 868–877.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fehr, K. T., Hochleitner, R., Hölzl, S. and Geiss, E.: 2004, ‘Ferrosilizium-Pseudometeorite aus dem Raum Burghausen, Bayern’, Aufschluss 55, 297–303.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, H. A., Rodwell, V. W. and Mayes, P. A.: 1979, Review of Physiological Chemistry, Lange Medical Publications, Los Altos, California, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Höffel, I. and Müller: 1983, ‘Schwermetallrückstände in Honigbienen (Apis mellifica L.) in einem ökosystem (Saarbrücken)’, Forum Städte-Hygiene 34, 191–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, V. and Rösler, W.: 2005, ‘Anomalous magnetic signature of soils/sediments in SE Bavaria’, Special Volume of Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, EGU 2004.

  • Hoffmann, V., Rösler, W. and Raeymaekers, B.: 2004, ‘Evidence for an impact strewn field in SE Bavaria’, Presentation held at Paneth Kolloquium, Nördlingen (Germany), 13–14 Oct. 2004.

  • Nürnberg Airport, Press Office, 2003: ‘Airport Nuremberg engages 30.000 new workers to monitor the environment’, Press Release No. 17/03 (23 October 2003).

  • Raeymaekers, B., 2004: ‘Beewatch — Biomonitoring mit Honigbienen. Bericht über eine Monitoringkampagne im Landkreis Altötting — Frühling 2002’, Report for the District Council of Altötting, Germany.

  • Raeymaekers, B. and Schrijvers, D.: 2004, ‘Iron silicides and other metallic species in the SE Bavarian strewn field’, Presentation held at Paneth Kolloquium, Nördlingen (Germany), 13–14 Oct. 2004.

  • Root, A. I.: 1948, ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, The A.I. Root Cie, Medina, Ohio, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sager, M.: 2000, ‘Spurenelemente in Honig’, in: Arbeitsgemeinschaft landwirtschaftlicher Versuchs-anstalten — Jahrestagung 2000 in Gmünden, 2000, Gmünden, Austria, pp. 113–114.

  • Statistical Graphics Corporation: 1998, Statgraphics Plus, Standard Edition, Manugistics Inc., USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tong, S. S. C., Morse, R. A., Bache, C. A. and Lisk, D. J.: 1975, ‘Elemental analysis of honey as an indicator of pollution’, Arch. Environ. Health 30, 329–332.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Umweltbundesamt Berlin: 1998, ‘Pflanzenbelastung auf kontaminierten Standorten — Ergebnisse des internationalen Workshops “Plant Impact at Contaminated Sites”’, Umwelt 4, 168–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallwork-Barber, K. M., Ferenbaugh, R. W. and Gladney, E. S.: 1982, ‘The use of honey bees as monitors of environmental pollution’, Am. Bee J., November, 770–772.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. InfraServ Gendorf, 84508, Burgkirchen, Germany

    Bert Raeymaekers

Authors
  1. Bert Raeymaekers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bert Raeymaekers.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Raeymaekers, B. A Prospective Biomonitoring Campaign with Honey Bees in a District of Upper-Bavaria (Germany). Environ Monit Assess 116, 233–243 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-7389-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-7389-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation