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Weird. I'm not a beekeeper, nor a biologist, but Seeley's one of the top authorities on both - he picked up Karl von Frisch's work and extended it further trans
by nemo 7y ago
Weird. I'm not a beekeeper, nor a biologist, but Seeley's one of the top authorities on both - he picked up Karl von Frisch's work and extended it further translating bee language/communications.
His accounts of site analyses across the country don't exactly agree with the claim of feral bees dying off. He does agree in a sense, but he's presented a lot of very compelling evidence that wild/feral bee colonies are evolving and adapting to survive Varroa mites through natural selection.
- tptacek 7y agoWe don't have to agree completely; all that we have to agree on is that Varroa mites have in fact been a very big deal both to feral and controlled honey bee hives, and that they are not a smokescreen put up by pesticide companies.
- nemo 7y agoVarroa mites in the wild are a big deal. They are very troublesome with European honeybees, esp. those kept in Langstroth hives. In the wild, bees swarm regularly, and any time they swarm and form a new hive, the new hive not only rids itself of parasites but increases the genetic diversity that is needed to deal with pest resistance. The methods of modern beekeeping work diligently to prevent this. In the 20 years since the article you first linked to was written, more careful/extensive study of wild/feral bee populations has shown how they are better adapted to deal with this pest, which is a very important development in our knowledge of the issue. They aren't a smokescreen put up by pesticide companies, but they are a greater problem as a result of modern practices that limit natural behaviors and natural evolutionary responses that reduce the impact of the mites in wild and feral populations.
- tptacek 7y agoI've got no trouble believing any of that, though I'll observe that the honey bees don't "belong" in North America to begin with --- they're an invasive species.
- nemo 7y agoI think we agree, but I'd mention that they're non-native, but they're really not classified as invasive. I think those labels are worth being careful about when discussing ecology. Issues with honeybees aren't ecological issues, so much as human issues tied to agriculture, where if humans want to manage issues with parasites, we can turn to nature to find answers.
- tptacek 7y agoThis all makes sense. Thanks!