For those interested in AMM

[Beefriendly]

Yawn....you really give Any enthusiasts a bad name.

I shall treat that comment with the contempt it deserves.

 

[Uncle Betty]

...let any beekeeper keep whatever bees they desire.

No to imports.

 

[Uncle Betty]

No kernel, let any beekeeper keep whatever bees they desire.

Well, my point was not really about permission to keep whatever bees one desires.

It was more that I picked up on your phrase 'the range of 'qualities a beekeeper may desire'.

As far as I can see, that range extends from utterly human-centred, to utterly bee-centred.

Thus debate often generates more heat than light as people become defensive etc

 

[B+.]

let any beekeeper keep whatever bees they desire. Preservation of any strain/species is easy with II.

We can all keep what we want that way.

 

[Finman]

No to imports.

Import is a good thing. That is why bees and queens are imported.
.

 

[Uncle Betty]

Import is a good thing. That is why bees and queens are imported.
.

Subjective.

 

[B+.]

Subjective.

I can't agree with someone who would assert their right to choose which bee they kept but deny others theirs. There has to be a compromise.

 

[Finman]

Subjective.

Exactly. Feelings which became from tens thousands of stings in nursing Black Devils 1963-1990.

 

[mbc]

I can't agree with someone who would assert their right to choose which bee they kept but deny others theirs. There has to be a compromise.

How about closing the border now for bio security reasons?
We already have all the sub species here if people want to breed them.
That's a compromise.

 

[B+.]

How about closing the border now for bio security reasons?
We already have all the sub species here if people want to breed them.
That's a compromise.

That's a compromise?
All that does is restate the "no imports" position which denies others the right to choose.

 

[mbc]

That's a compromise?
All that does is restate the "no imports" position which denies others the right to choose.

Nope, it leaves the choice of all the sub species so long as they're bred in blighty

 

[B+.]

Nope, it leaves the choice of all the sub species so long as they're bred in blighty

It seems the only right to choose you acknowledge is the right to choose what you have already chosen. That's not a right to choose.

 

[mbc]

It seems the only right to choose you acknowledge is the right to choose what you have already chosen. That's not a right to choose.

Should people have the right to choose to bring in pocket fulls of Asian hornets, hive beatles and tropiliaps too?

 

[mbc]

It seems the only right to choose you acknowledge is the right to choose what you have already chosen. That's not a right to choose.

Besides, your comprehension is amiss, I was posing a question not stating my opinion "How about closing the border now for bio security reasons? "

 

[B+.]

Besides, your comprehension is amiss, I was posing a question not stating my opinion "How about closing the border now for bio security reasons? "

Nope, it leaves the choice of all the sub species so long as they're bred in blighty

No. That's a statement, not a question.
This is just going around in circles.

 

[mbc]

Incorrect again, the bit quoted above by you is merely a denial of your earlier "all that does" assertion. Keep up.

 

[B+.]

Incorrect again, the bit quoted above by you is merely a denial of your earlier "all that does" assertion. Keep up.

Keep up yourself. You're just trying to misdirect the thread. You made a statement, not a question. Then when I corrected you, you accuse me of not keeping up.
This is nonsense. Anyone can see what you're doing, but, it won't work. Beekeepers will choose for themselves and, as I said quite some time ago, they don't want your unproductive, swarmy and aggressive mongrel.

 

[mbc]

Keep up yourself. You're just trying to misdirect the thread. You made a statement, not a question. Then when I corrected you, you accuse me of not keeping up.
This is nonsense. Anyone can see what you're doing, but, it won't work. Beekeepers will choose for themselves and, as I said quite some time ago, they don't want your unproductive, swarmy and aggressive mongrel.

Lol, displaying your ignorance again, you've absolutely no idea about my bees. You're correct in calling this "chat" nonsense though, can't be much fun for the wider audience to read, my apologies for my part in it and I'm out for the time being.

 

[For want of a better word]

Folks, I am just cutting and pasting from an article published here in Ireland recently. I hope it is of interest to some folk. Jim

The pure native Irish honeybee is not extinct as previously feared and is living in many parts of the island of Ireland, a post-graduate research student has established using genetic testing.

Irish bee populations have experienced a sustained decline over many decades, which necessitated the importation of bees, often bringing diseases. But news that Apis mellifera mellifera – the pure native Irish honeybee – still exists has brought a fillip to beekeepers.

Jack Hassett, who is pursing his doctorate at Limerick Institute of Technology, used DNA analysis to deduce that millions of the native black Irish honeybees are living in at least 300 hives throughout the country.

“It’s a fantastic result, especially for all the different beekeepers around the country who’ve been trying to preserve the native Irish bee. We sampled 300 hives from 80 sites,” said Mr Hassett, who is from Thurles, Co Tipperary.

Previous methods of testing bees, including measuring wing and body length, were “not as exact as DNA analysis”, he added.

It was commonly presumed the Irish bee died out after a disease outbreak in the 19th century devastated the native English bee, which also falls under the Apis mellifera mellifera categorisation.

Mr Hassett’s work shows that while the black bee should still be considered endangered, there are enough of the pure native honeybees in Ireland to not only ensure its survival but it could help repopulate northern Europe, where the majority of Apis mellifera mellifera has died out or been hybridised.

“We have found that not only are these black bees a pure form of Apis mellifera mellifera, but they also have markers specific only to Ireland. The vast majority of the DNA samples taken showed greater than 95 per cent purity for Apis mellifera mellifera; the native honeybee for northern Europe and Ireland,” he said. “The study exceeded all our expectations, and has excited beekeepers across the continent. It has belied the myth that there is no native Irish honeybee in existence.”

A worldwide decline in honeybees led to concerns about their essential pollinator role and the potentially drastic impact their loss may have on the quality and diversity of foods.

“However, this new study proves Ireland now has potentially the greatest reserve of Apis mellifera mellifera in the world; the honeybee that dominated all northern Europe.

“It is imperative that we act now to protect this unique population that has adapted on this island over thousands of years. The distinctive Irish population has been under threat from the importation of queens and hives, and this practice has to stop if we are to prevent destruction of our unique honeybee through hybridisation and disease,” he added.

Botanist Prof Jane Stout of TCD said it was “a really interesting finding”. The European honeybee, Apis mellifera, is the most common honeybee species worldwide, and there are around a dozen subspecies found across Europe. The subspecies Apis mellifera mellifera used to be widely distributed across northern Europe but it has been lost, interbred and/or replaced with other subspecies across much of its native range.

“It is interesting that the Irish bees tested in this study were shown to be overwhelmingly ‘pure’ Apis mellifera mellifera – either there have been fewer attempts to interbreed with or establish other subspecies here, or it is better adapted to our environmental conditions. Whatever the case, Ireland appears to be one of the few places where this subspecies has persisted,” she added.

The fact that Ireland appears to be a refuge for this subspecies, and our honeybees are genetically distinct, does not automatically mean they can repopulate depleted stocks in other parts of Europe – they may be better suited to our Atlantic conditions, she warns. “It does mean that we should have good biosecurity with regards to honeybee imports – both to protect the genetic integrity of native populations, and to reduce disease spread.”

Let's start again!

“It does mean that we should have good biosecurity with regards to honeybee imports – both to protect the genetic integrity of native populations, and to reduce disease spread.”

Good enough for me.... stop importing any bees... including bumbles to pollinate soft fruit!!

Yeghes da

 

[B+.]

Let's start again!

I think everyone must be bored with this by now. I know I am.