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"And honeybees, which easily become feral, may contribute to the decline of their wild compatriots. “There seems to be a lot of evidence that they share their v
by seltzered_ 4y ago
"And honeybees, which easily become feral, may contribute to the decline of their wild compatriots. “There seems to be a lot of evidence that they share their viruses and parasites,” says Ponisio, adding that honeybees also can compete for food with wild bees. "
This is kind of the interesting part to me. Beekeepers seemingly will argue the opposite about this.
- tptacek 4y agoThey're wrong.
- katvan 4y agoMany beekeepers order their bees online and have them shipped live from bee factory farms. The bees are shipped live to them via the mail, where many get crushed to death and become sick. Factory farms are the biggest customers of antibiotics, because you cannot kill 750 billion animals a year without many becoming sick from being in close proximity. Bees are no different, but they do not receive any antibiotics. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/beekeepers-honeybees-wild-bumblebees-pollinator-decline-a8976101.html https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/beekeepers... The results suggest “viruses in managed honeybees are spilling over to wild bumblebee populations and that flowers are an important route,” according to Alison Brody, a professor in the University of Vermont’s department of Biology.