Hybrids & defensive/aggressive behaviour

[Swarm]

Aah! regrettably its already happened and wild cats are now confined to a few small enclaves.

Exactly my point Murox. What a meddlesome species we are.

 

[Murox]

Exactly my point Murox. What a meddlesome species we are.

Yes indeed we are.

 

[Swarm]

Here's another, where Sue Cobey explains gene pool issues even with II.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Except the latest thinking on wild cats is that they can exist as a pure breed alongside pet cats.

 

[Swarm]

Yes humans always think they know best.

 

[SWEET]

 

[Curly green finger's]

View attachment 38900

Beautiful

 

[Curly green finger's]

Worth a watch.

Thanks for this

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes humans always think they know best.

Does that include beekeepers?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Beautiful

They are…. But they are orange.

 

[mbc]

Except the latest thinking on wild cats is that they can exist as a pure breed alongside pet cats.

What latest thinking?
My understanding was the greatest threat to their continued existence as a pure bread is hybridization and thats more likely to further occur if there's hybrids already about.
Much like bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What latest thinking?

This article has it that hybridisation is a symptom not a cause of the demise of the Scottish Wildcat
https://theconversation.com/wildcat...d-interbreeding-60-years-ago-new-study-216871
There are breeding programmes in place to release enough wildcats into the UK so that higher numbers preclude any interbreeding with domestic cats, so that they can live alongside domestic cats as they did for thousands of years

A bit like drone flooding

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hmm, That's another shot size I'll have to stock

 

[jarmo henttu]

View attachment 38890

If you want full control (or just cull poorly open-mated queens).

You need to quite a big beekeeping farm to breed your own bee stock.
And lots of money to get buildins and land property.

 

[Lislarybees]

You need to quite a big beekeeping farm to breed your own bee stock.
And lots of money to get buildins and land property.

Not really - you just need everyone keeping a pure subspecies native to the country you live in and no imports. There will be some genetic flow between your kept beeps and the wild living ones but everyone’s bees will be healthier for that and if at any time you run short of bees or you lose colonies you can set some swarm traps and replenish. In Ireland we are close to that but it’s definitely been compromised through ignorance and or greed. Not too late to turn that around though. In the UK it would take a lot more work but is still achievable.

 

[Ely]

Not really - you just need everyone keeping a pure subspecies native to the country you live in and no imports. There will be some genetic flow between your kept beeps and the wild living ones but everyone’s bees will be healthier for that and if at any time you run short of bees or you lose colonies you can set some swarm traps and replenish. In Ireland we are close to that but it’s definitely been compromised through ignorance and or greed. Not too late to turn that around though. In the UK it would take a lot more work but is still achievable.

If you are selecting from feral colonies then you will be generally selecting from aggressive and swarmy stock. If you are selecting from your own pool of 50+ colonies you can select the best traits. The fewer the colonies, the fewer the genetic diversity to choose from.

 

[Lislarybees]

If you are selecting from feral colonies then you will be generally selecting from aggressive and swarmy stock. If you are selecting from your own pool of 50+ colonies you can select the best traits. The fewer the colonies, the fewer the genetic diversity to choose from.

Nonsense. Maybe in the UK because you have so much hybridisation but here in Ireland you can catch swarms from wild colonies amd have quite calm bees from the get go. Some colonies may have a tendency to swarm some will not. Plenty of wild colonies here that don’t swarm every year. Selection in your own apiary will take care of anything else.
Of course in areas of Ireland where imports have been brought in beekeepers are having a miserable time with aggression. Which puts paid to that other argument that gets trotted out on this forum regularly - where it’s the ‘local’ bees that are the cause of aggression.
A stable population of a native subspecies in its native range is a win win for everyone!

 

[Mint Bee]

usual rubbish from an 8 hive beekeeper trying to save the cheerleeder. Plenty of beekeepers who don't to follow your example of the black bee in Ireland post on here. None of them seemed ignorant or greedy. They just want the freedom to do as they wish without someone else imposing restrictions
Last time I looked it was only 20Km ish from center of Sligo to the Northern Ireland border and no matter what you try and get into law in the south aint never going the get passed at Stormont

 

[jarmo henttu]

Not really - you just need everyone keeping a pure subspecies native to the country you live i

How do you do that?
From.where you get pure subspecies?

In whole Europe bees are more or less hybrids.

 

[jarmo henttu]

If you are selecting from feral colonies then you will be generally selecting from aggressive and swarmy stock. If you are selecting from your own pool of 50+ colonies you can select the best traits. The fewer the colonies, the fewer the genetic diversity to choose from.

You do not have feral colonies in Britain. Their origin are escaped swarms.