According to the British Bee Association, last year the Bee population dropped 17 percent in UK and nearly 30 percent in the United States says the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Parasitic mites called Varroa, agricultural pesticides and the effects of climate change have all been caught up in what has been dubbed “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD).

Researchers in India believe cell phones could also be to blame for some of the losses. In a study at Panjab University in Chandigarh, Northern India, researchers fitted cell phones to a hive and powered them up for two fifteen-minute periods each day. After three months, they found the bees stopped producing honey, egg production by the queen bee halved, and the size of the hive dramatically reduced. It’s not just the honey that will be lost if populations plunge further.

Bees are estimated to pollinate 90 commercial crops worldwide. Their economic value in the UK is estimated to be $290 million per year and around $12 billion in the U.S.