You’ve lost me I’m afraid.
I'm not sure heterosis is the correct term here.
This is nonsense, if the defensive trait(s) (data) is not available and of the correct type it won't cause offspring to suddenly become killer bees.
I had the same comment when I used to take beginners at the association apiary. Also had people complaining about runny bees after they just pumped thick smoke throughout the hive, poor things were running around in panic.
it's the same out in Africa - most people have been taught by 'master' beekeepers flying over from here playing the great white hope, terrified of the fairytales about 'aggressive' African bees they teach everyone to envelop the hives in great gouts of smoke before going anywhere near the bees, yet I found out that even a small puff of smoke would get the bees quickly trying to get away from it, smoke just would the poor bugger up. I only lit the smoker out of habit and I seldom use it over there, even inspecting without gloves.
I try to educate newbies to be GENTLE when handling frames. Rarely do I find problem bees although I had one training hive a few years ago as an exception. It took two of us to find that small queen, (inconspicuous little thing) and she was despatched pronto. As the words of the Mikado "she won't be missed"
I don’t agree with you. Neither does this study
You seem to have missed the point. If there is a hypothetical free living population adapted to an area, as soon as a beekeeper keeping a colony of those bees does anything to select for their preferred genetics- or even something as simple as knocking down some queen cells- they are applying a selection pressure different to that which the bees would naturally experience. This means that genetically they will begin to differ from the original hypothetical population and are no longer the local strain, even if they are descendents of it. They are no longer the hypothetical naturalised strain, they are an unnatural variant.
We can see this play out in real time in Ireland. An area that traditionally had a stable population of Amm. Obviously still differences between colonies and between apiaries but generally easily managed bees.
I’m not missing the point - I am telling you that where there is a wild population still in place and there isn’t the constant movement of imported bees the fiddling about of beekeepers will not stop or reduce Apis melliferas ability to adapt to local conditions or disrupt its already adapted state.
Yes, you are. This is really basic biology in terms of understanding natural and artifical selection. The beekeeper applying a selection pressure means the genetics differ from what would happen naturally. The bees may well continue to do well in the area but this is no longer a naturally occurring locally adapted colony but a strain the beekeeper is selecting for. As these will produces drones, it will influence any other colonies in the area whose queens these mate with. Doesn't matter how well the bees do, they are influenced by the beekeeper(s) therefore the kept and feral populations are no longer the hypothetical naturally occurring locally adapted strain but one which is descended from it and now shaped by artifical selection.
As an analogy, hybrid apple trees producing apples produce seeds and trees of which return to their original native species. My reading of studies suggest that no matter what we do the AMM genetics always come out tops......Mongrels.
I'm not sure why labouring the point that beekeeper influence isnt part of the natural selection process supports any valid argument.
To be fair, I gave up on the imported bees after the first and her subsequent generations. Obviously, I cannot prove that other bees would not thrive, here, but most of our society members have come to the conclusion that local bees seem to be right, here. As to the environmental needs, I suspect that if different butterflies thrive in different areas, such as limestone or acidic, it is likely that other pollinators have similar preferences/ needs. I know that the locally found bees I have had are very prolific and seem comfortable with their forage etc.
Of course, if climate change is too fast for bees to adapt , I might have to reconsider which bees will find the conditions bearable....
The bees will adapt, maybe it'll take us as a species to fail to give them time to reach their natural equilibrium again but they've been around for many more millennia than we have and I guess they'll still be around virtually unchanged by the time we've fizzled out or been superceded.
You're pointing out they turn to a locally adapted type when the selection influence of man is removed (although potentially different to what would be there had man not been involved at all), which is rather the point I'm making with bees. Whilst man is still selecting, you end up with a strain which differs from what would be there and which influences the local population, irregardless of what happens when man stops selecting.
1. They're all the same species. Introduction of a new species (such as introducing honey bees to North America...) is usually deleterious for the native population, increasing the gene pool/genetic diversity of a species is generally considered to be advantageous in terms of ability to adapt and survive.
