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Good list, but.. > Africanization - of honeybees has reduced their ability to withstand the cold. has probably been saving a lot of North American bees (certa
by jly 7y ago
Good list, but..
> Africanization - of honeybees has reduced their ability to withstand the cold.
has probably been saving a lot of North American bees (certainly in the wild).
Am. scutellata behavioral differences are vastly more beneficial than a typical European honeybee when it comes to survival everywhere in the Americas except the north. These bees forage sooner, store more pollen, build smaller colonies, swarm more frequently, and more strongly defend themselves against Varroa. In other words, they are survivors against still the number one threat to managed honeybees.
- hinkley 7y agoYeah I watched a documentary on africanization and they saved that bit about varoa resistance toward the end. Nature is making a pretty big pot of lemonade there. Weren't the scientists that accidentally released african bees in south america trying to study hybridization benefits? Ironically they are getting their wish.
- jly 7y agoCompletely agree. I think one main goal of introducing an African/European hybrid was to improve the productivity in tropical and sub-tropical climates (Central/South America) and arid climates (parts of northern Mexico and southern US) where the introduced European bees were less well-adapted. It's now well-documented that African bees are considerably more defensive, making beekeeping challenging, although not impossible. While this is less desirable for humans, it turns out to be a very valuable set of behaviors for bees in the right environment.