Filipe Salbany- Somerset Beekeepers' Association online event

[JamezF]

In all fairness I've had my bees dna sampled for a research project and it's common practice to be asked not to publicise the results until the work is published by the author.

That wouldn't stop him confirming whether it had been done or not though, surely?

James

 

[mbc]

That wouldn't stop him confirming whether it had been done or not though, surely?

James

Probably not

 

[user 20297]

That wouldn't stop him confirming whether it had been done or not though, surely?

James

Overall, he seems to want to keep the mystery going. He was contradictory in wanting to publicise the big picture to the whole world, but simultaneously keep keep everyone out...both physically and metaphorically. He repeatedly said how privileged he is to be able to access these bees. He was a bit short on precise information about what was going on to make these bees special...apparently, the mechanisms aren't fully understood.

I was much more inclined towards believing him than most forum posters (not difficult! ), but having listened quite closely I think the whole thing is overhyped and other than it showing possibilities for chemical-free beekeeping, hardly relevant to regular beekeepng at all.

He does show that a relatively small area of ancient, deciduous forest has the potential to support far more colonies of bees than is generally believed. "His" bees make little honey, often just "hand to mouth", they make loads of propolis, keep using comb for a very long time, don't suffer wax moth and predominantly appear to sustain themselves with honeydew rather than floral nectar.

 

[rolande]

His" bees make little honey, often just "hand to mouth", they make loads of propolis, keep using comb for a very long time, don't suffer wax moth and predominantly appear to sustain themselves with honeydew rather than floral nectar.

Did he explain how he knows any of this stuff?

 

[user 20297]

Did he explain how he knows any of this stuff?

He was keen to describe his wide experience of living in different parts of the world where, since childhood, bees have been something which gave him consistency and comfort. I don't think any specific training came into it other than a love of and a self-described adeptness at climbing using ropes. He showed several rough videos taken tens of metres up trees where bees, propolis and comb could be seen around the entrance to a hole.

He seems to know what he sees and like all of us, ponders what he is seeing. I don't think he claims any scientific background or special training, but I may have fallen asleep during that part. He has a fairly dry delivery as possessed by most broadasting beekeepers.

 

[North End Bees]

He does show that a relatively small area of ancient, deciduous forest has the potential to support far more colonies of bees than is generally believed. "His" bees make little honey, often just "hand to mouth", they make loads of propolis, keep using comb for a very long time, don't suffer wax moth and predominantly appear to sustain themselves with honeydew rather than floral nectar.

This is actually quite pertinent to me at the moment. Just last week a friend asked if we could put hives on their property. (They want bees but not their own!)

It's a very large garden bordered by fields which she says are cut as hay, and the only trees in the immediate area are oaks. Lots of them!

I said I'd put a couple of hives there in the spring and see how they get on.

 

[rolande]

He was keen to describe his wide experience of living in different parts of the world where, since childhood, bees have been something which gave him consistency and comfort. I don't think any specific training came into it other than a love of and a self-described adeptness at climbing using ropes. He showed several rough videos taken tens of metres up trees where bees, propolis and comb could be seen around the entrance to a hole.

He seems to know what he sees and like all of us, ponders what he is seeing. I don't think he claims any scientific background or special training, but I may have fallen asleep during that part. He has a fairly dry delivery as possessed by most broadasting beekeepers.

I was just wondering whether he was taking the nests apart to ascertain things such as surviving on honeydew.

All for observational beekeeping myself, but I also like to know how others are reaching their own conclusions.

 

[user 20297]

This is actually quite pertinent to me at the moment. Just last week a friend asked if we could put hives on their property. (They want bees but not their own!)

It's a very large garden bordered by fields which she says are cut as hay, and the only trees in the immediate area are oaks. Lots of them!

I said I'd put a couple of hives there in the spring and see how they get on.

One constructive suggestion by Filipe was to place small (smaller than Seeley recommends) bait hives in such areas so you can assess if bees are already there.

 

[North End Bees]

One constructive suggestion by Filipe was to place small (smaller than Seeley recommends) bait hives in such areas so you can assess if bees are already there.

Good suggestion!

They live in the middle of nowhere but, as we know, bees are everywhere!

 

[user 20297]

I was just wondering whether he was taking the nests apart to ascertain things such as surviving on honeydew.

All for observational beekeeping myself, but I also like to know how others are reaching their own conclusions.

He didn't seem to be interfering directly in nests.

 

[user 20297]

Good suggestion!

They live in the middle of nowhere but, as we know, bees are everywhere!

.....and really high......higher than possible for your average beekeeper.Getting high in the trees (no, not that way!) is where his real skill lies and perhaps the key to why the bees have been unknown for so long.

 

[North End Bees]

Very true. But I think I'll keep my bait hives at ground level. His back broken in five places was definitely not a recommendation for climbing trees, even with all the right safety gear!

 

[user 819]

Sounds like a con man wanting others to pay for his dalliances with bees by scamming other peoples money.

 

[dancingbee]

That wouldn't stop him confirming whether it had been done or not though, surely?

James

He did confirm that it had been done but that he couldn't disclose the results

 

[user 819]

He did confirm that it had been done but that he couldn't disclose the results

Because ? probably the results didn't suit what he was expecting i.e., they are your typical hybrid managed bee that swarmed and have set up home in a tree.

 

[user 819]

He says they don’t leave the forest. They mate inside. He’s looking for DCAs there this year

Best he broaden his horizon then and search over the other side of the fence.

 

[JamezF]

He did confirm that it had been done but that he couldn't disclose the results

Ah. That's not the impression I had from an earlier post.

James

 

[JamezF]

Because ? probably the results didn't suit what he was expecting i.e., they are your typical hybrid managed bee that s

It's certainly confusing that he describes the bees as smaller, much darker and more hairy than those we're used to, but all the photos he's provided of colonies in trees or him handling the bees look just like the average bee I have in my own hives.

Mind you, I am relatively remote. Perhaps I've had a whole load of native bees all the time and never realised!

James

 

[JamezF]

Another comment (in a posting online) that I didn't really understand was that he was setting up bait hives to trap "incomers" so they don't pollute the gene pool. Is that really likely to help? It's not that large an area in terms of how far bees will fly after all, so surely the gene pool would be subject to "pollution" by outside drones visiting local DCAs?

James

 

[madasafish]

Another comment (in a posting online) that I didn't really understand was that he was setting up bait hives to trap "incomers" so they don't pollute the gene pool. Is that really likely to help? It's not that large an area in terms of how far bees will fly after all, so surely the gene pool would be subject to "pollution" by outside drones visiting local DCAs?

James

Either he has no idea of genetics and how bees mate , or he is pulling your plonker. Because if there are incoming bees, his bees will mate with other drones. Now I assume he knows how bees mate, so he is basically - confusing the issue, waffling and being disingenuous#. If he does not know how bees mate - he is not worth listening to.

# like a certain political leader.