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If you stopped imports right now and let nature run its course - you would then have an experiment in 'genetics, heritability and selection pressure' - my thoughts would be that in time the pure/near pure Amm populations in Cornwall/Wales/Scotland/Northumberland would expand their range and the...

The spread of ash die back is horrible to see. It has reached where I live right on the very west coast of Ireland in the last two years and a small plantation of ten year old trees I planted have suffered very badly. I have much older ash on site and so far they don't show much damage but I...

If you want me to go back through the forum to find that discussion I will but I think at the time there was suggestion that the specific discussion of Amm would have enhanced moderation to stop the tiresome 'trolling' by Amm haters. That it would be a place where interested forum members could...

Just because you have managed to wipe it out in large areas doesn't stop it being your native bee. And it does still exist in parts of the UK in pure or near pure form and you know that full well. What I am saying is that for most beekeepers in the UK their experience of black bees is most...

Eh - not when that evolution is being driven by continued imports.

Is that a joke? You actually think this is trolling. Good heavens! If I remember there were calls for an Amm specific sub forum on here and it wasn't allowed. Why was that again?

I don't detest this forum - I don't agree with some of the opinions expressed on here and so will call those out. Otherwise it is just an echo chamber. Judging by the supportive private messages I have received from other forum members I would say my contributions are appreciated by many. You...

Sadly i can't find a face palm emoji

Bumbling Beekeeper - From what I have read on this forum there are a number of contributors that peddle in wilful ignorance, obfuscation and denigration at any mention of Amm. Finman chief amongst them. He keeps talking about his qualifications in genetics but then argues that it is okay for...

How was the response?

We have had tiny levels of imports in comparison to the UK. I think officially 300 queens last year. Which was a very worrying jump up on previous years. Of course there will have been more illegally imported. I think by comparison the UK saw 21,405 queens and 1,882 packages. And numbers like...

Hi ITLD - thank you for your considered response. It is a shame - I am sure your experience would be very helpful in the conservation and improvement of kept Amm here in Ireland. My sense would be that for small scale bee keepers there is the possibility of the joint reward of both conserving...

You should watch the linked video in the reply I made to Finman. No one says the Native Irish Honey bee is not the European Dark Honey bee. They are one and the same thing as stated in the bill. We just happen to have a population that developed in isolation for a very long time with some much...

Hi Finman - what would your interpretation of these findings be the main discussion of genetics is from the 40 minute mark on.

Willie Robson has some great talks on the Barefoot Beekeeper podcast on Spotify.

And if you would like to take a look at current ongoing studies of Welsh Black bee genetics and another study of British Black Bee genetics then here are two more talks. Hopefully the links work - I had to pay to see them as part of the ongoing Sicamm conference but the videos are hosted on...

This is a talk by a scientist at one of our largest Universities. The results are quite clear - not only does Ireland have a very pure population of Amm it also has a population that shows it has developed in isolation over time. Yes there have been imports of Dutch bees in the early part of the...

Did you read the article I posted? Tigers aren't the important thing. It is how scientists treat subspecies and how their genetics are influenced over time by isolation from other populations with in their own overall species. Finman has made assertions that scientists don't believe this has...

Correction - part of the Irish Amm population shows genetic markers from the introduction of Dutch and/or French bees. I think conserving animal/plant/insect species and their subspecies is different to conserving houses. Amm are not lost in any way - diminished in their range for sure but...

Bees aren't cows though are they. You are also the one that seems immune to science. Are the scientists that compared the genomes of tiger subspecies just making it all up? Or is one Finnish bee keeper correct in his opinion. As you have explained and I have taken that on board now - honey bees...