"Survivor bees" found in Blenheim Forest

[user 20917]

" The Estate consists of 12000 acres of land and 2000 acres within the Park. " ... Rural
still dont believe these bees are anything special... happy to be proved wrong though...

Even if it is 12000 acres, that is the size of a village (18.5mi² ). It sounds good for anybody who doesn't know anything about bees.

 

[Boston Bees]

Even if it is 12000 acres, that is the size of a village (18.5mi² ). It sounds good for anybody who doesn't know anything about bees.

Err ..... that would be a rather large village .... indeed a rather large town

 

[Murox]

I think the 2,000 acres figure refers to the whole estate. The park is something like 224 hectares (554-acres), it has held “Site of Special Scientific Interest“ status since 2003, not sure how it achieved that status really, probably stems for having some really old oak trees and being an old unesco world heritage site

 

[Ian123]

if he was on an island maybe but highly unlikely in Blenheim. This fella just wants his 15mins of fame

15 minutes of fame or perhaps funding more to the point?

 

[Frizzaldo]

Whilst being a little provocative, I wasn't suggesting they'd not met other bees, but that they were perhaps physiologically unable to cross breed. Over the course of the years I've come across a good number of ferral colonies disturbed during tree felling. Very few of them looked like my mongrels. Maybe there actually is a sub-species out there that hasn't been properly observed before.
I'm slightly saddened by the disparaging tone in some of the comments on here. Discussion shouldn't be tinged with belittling. We all have different experiences, different depths of knowledge and in different areas and specialities. My mother's boyfriend (in his late 80's and keeping bees since he was 7) said that he saw something new pretty much every week - he had over 200 hives around the county. I'm amazed at the superior tones adopted by some on here. Putting people down doesn't encourage discussion or the sharing of experience.

This guy loses his apiary likely because he hasn't treated them, then crowdfunds for new hives playing on the publics weakness to save the endangered bees then mysteriously finds wild bees very near his apiary that just happen to be treatment free. Come on?

Smaller bees in wild hives have been observed many times do a bit of googling or searching on here you'll find it mentioned

 

[Swarm]

Careful now with the crowdfunding accusations, some very out spoken members were made to eat humble pie a little while ago.

 

[Boston Bees]

Careful now with the crowdfunding accusations, some very out spoken members were made to eat humble pie a little while ago.

Were they?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Were they?

Yes. A few of us, me included, had to stump up a written apology after we were personally threatened with legal action

 

[Swarm]

Aye, be careful what you write on the internet, you are not anonymous.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes it was the “I know where you live bit that alarmed me” Hey ho don’t mess with an ex copper.

 

[Mint Bee]

I'm slightly saddened by the disparaging tone in some of the comments on here. Discussion shouldn't be tinged with belittling. We all have different experiences, different depths of knowledge and in different areas and specialities. My mother's boyfriend (in his late 80's and keeping bees since he was 7) said that he saw something new pretty much every week - he had over 200 hives around the county. I'm amazed at the superior tones adopted by some on here. Putting people down doesn't encourage discussion or the sharing of experience.

Maybe if they provided some evidence rather than making claims without any data to back it up. If they provide the DNA data from the majority of colonies, and if it shows interesting characteristics, then further research would be warranted. Personally as there is a bee farmer based within flying distance of the woods and a number of others nearby, I think the chances of this being a distinct and isolated population are slime.
A lot of people make unsubstantiated claims on this forum (and others) and seam amazed when they get challenged. If it looks like BS and smells like BS, it very probably is BS, unless one can provide convincing evidence and data to confirm the excreta is from another species

 

[Finman]

Maybe if they provided some evidence rather than making claims without any data to back it up.

A lot of people make unsubstantiated claims on this forum (and others) and seam amazed when they get challenged. If it looks like BS and smells like BS, it very probably is BS, unless one can provide convincing evidence and data to confirm the excreta is from another species

And you believe those stories? At least part of them. Two professors are supporting the "data".

If you compare writings in internet during years from Blenheim bees, it is good, that Blenheim bees are not from another planet. What they should research first is, do they radiate something?

 

[0bee-1]

Finnie-The-Pooh would make a great children's story book I think (with the appropriate explicit-language warnings on of course)

I'd buy it!

 

[0bee-1]

Im really enjoying this thread everyone please keep it up

 

[0bee-1]

This guy loses his apiary likely because he hasn't treated them, then crowdfunds for new hives playing on the publics weakness to save the endangered bees then mysteriously finds wild bees very near his apiary that just happen to be treatment free. Come on?

Smaller bees in wild hives have been observed many times do a bit of googling or searching on here you'll find it mentioned

He even has a website! who would have thought.... About – Bee Portals

 

[Finman]

. Maybe there actually is a sub-species out there that hasn't been properly observed before.

So they wrote. Every village in Ireland and in England has their own black bee race.
It has been suddenly observed in every place.

 

[Martinreed]

Careful now with the crowdfunding accusations, some very out spoken members were made to eat humble pie a little while ago.

There is no doubt he had a Crowdfunding attempt = my post #61.
Mysteriously the page is now a '404'

 

[Martinreed]

He even has a website! who would have thought.... About – Bee Portals

Most of it is Latin, not a 'survivor' language

 

[Wilco]

There is no doubt he had a Crowdfunding attempt = my post #61.
Mysteriously the page is now a '404'

Intriguing as that disappearance obviously happened fairly recently but after it was pointed out on here. Inconvenient truths and rugs?

 

[Bumbling Keeper]

So they wrote. Every village in Ireland and in England has their own black bee race.
It has been suddenly observed in every place.

maybe not 'suddenly observed', I would suggest; rather, seen around for (possibly) ever, but no longer so frequently kept by beekeepers. As I say, most of the ferral bees I've come across in my job as a tree officer have been blackish - pretty much the opposite ratio of black to the stripy mongrels we see in our apiaries.