london Wing morphology

[OXFORDBEE]

The Times
Bee Disease Experiment.

Importation of Colonies of the Dutch Insect...

While the bee-keepers of these island have failed, up to the present, to enlist Government assistance in their fight against the ravages of the Isle of Wight, or bee, disease, no effort is being spared to eradicate the evil. The epidemic has been remarkably virulent and destructive, but it must not be thought that the British bee is particularly susceptible to this disease, which may be described as a form of dysentery, or that its outbreak in these islands is unprecedented. It has afflicted one country after another and has invariably vanished as suddenly and as mysteriously as it has appeared. The genera opinion is that the present epidemic was introduced from Italy, where the disease was found to exist some years ago. The Dutch apiarists also have suffered from its ravages, but for some reason the contagion failed to affect the bees of that country to any great extend. Whether this was due to the physique of the Dutch insects or from other physiological reasons it is impossible to state, but the salient fact remains that the Dutch bees appear to be immune.

This peculiar feature has prompted an interesting experiment. Colonies of Dutch bees are being introduced into this country and settled in affected parts. As they will come into contact and mix with the British bees it is hoped that the latter will become infused with the inoculation which appears to protect the Dutch bees against the devastating malady, with the result that ultimately the former will be able to resist the contagion , and thus be able to recuperate and regain the former standard of excellence and health. The trial, which is to be made upon an extensive scale, is due to the initiative of Mr JB Bee Mason and a friend. These two bee-keepers have visited Holland and have purchased 500 Colonies of Dutch Bees. These are being shipped to these islands in two consignments and special arrangements have been made for the conveyance of this curious freight. A vessel has been chartered for the purpose, and the purchasers, owing to the shippers refusing responsibility, have to accompany their charges from the Dutch bee-farms to their English homes.
After the new arrivals have settled down to their new surroundings the transference from the confined unscientific straw skep to the roomy, hygienic Britsh box-hive will be effected. Every inducement to multiply and swarm will be offered, while the insects will be given every opportunity to develop and become strong and healthy. Should the experiment provide successful and there is every indication that such a result will be achieved colonies for these bees will be introduced and settled in other parts of the country where the disease has been rampant.

The experiment by Mr. Mason is all the more interesting from the fact that it comes at a time when the Daily Mail is co-operating with the Norfolk Bee-keepers Association to revive the industry of Bee-keeping

 

[MuswellMetro]

Getting a bit serious this thread,stating things like the tooth fairy does not exist......i have inside info on this from my youngest son, who said he believes there are two of them,he rekons he caught the second one trying to nick some cash the first one had left in payment for a tooth.....i said don't be silly there's not two tooth fairys...it was most likely the easter bunny in disguise, now there could be several of them....you know what bunnys are like.

well just sittig here ready the debate

as i said not into AMM but just did the morph becasue i found a swarm of black bees...kind gentleman that i am, i gave the swarm back to the 80 year old lady who lost them...she gave me some of her dark honey...makes a chjange from OSR,

It appears the bees where original from stock her grandfather had circa 1940 war time beekeeper and have open bred since then, she remembers them getting very agressive in late 1970s but she in her words "tamed them"
and now they are ok. back garden beekeeper not in any BKA and only uses thymol

 

[Hivemaker.]

not in any BKA and only uses thymol

Sounds like a lady after my own heart.

 

[Bcrazy]

Her knowledge must bee fantastic.

Mo

 

[drstitson]

morphologic characteristics

Whilst a single (or limited panel) of "unique" morphologic features may reasonably serve to establish ancestry (like one can use mitochondrial DNA to trace ancestry in female line and Y-chromosomal DNA in the male line), a series of characteristics (such as the 30 quoted), whilst pointing towards "purity" wrt a chosen goal (ie AMM in this case) still cannot identify with certainty a pure target, just "AMM rich" gene pool. Unless one finds a truly geographically isolated population of black bees that score 30/30 that is the best we can do (until cloning of archived specimens is possible!!!!)

The problem we have with bees is the uncontrolled multiple matings and free cross hybridisation between sub-species.

Interestingly, in my own field of lymphoma molecular diagnostics, our original disease classification was defined by morphology (Kiel classification 40 years ago). subsequent molecular and cytogenetic advances have refined the classification, culminating in the recent revised WHO classification. However, despite much effort, using horrendously expensive gene-chip profiling systems to further define prognosticly relevent tumour types and identify panels of laboratory tests that allow resolution of type practically, a recent paper by the top german group has suggested that after all, conventional morphologic identification of a particular subgroup appears to be the gold standard!!!!!!

Morphology has it's place. you just have be certain of the question you are asking (ie does this have a significant AMM component? OR is this AMM?). Perhaps instead of looking at waggle dances the new tranche of government research funding could be better used to sequence archival AMM genomes and allow therefore a proper comparison with extant populations phylogenetically.