"Survivor bees" found in Blenheim Forest

[Martinreed]

N

How do you manage wild bees?

No idea. Also don't know how he managed to fit in managing wild bees with his career as a professional cyclist and an Oympic coach. Perhaps hasn't been too sucessful as he launched a Crowfunding exercise to fund the replacement 16 of 20 of 'his' colonies he lost. And raised £275
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wild-bees-local-honey-bees-community-hives-lost-apiaryCouldn't have lost them because of varroa.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Couldn't have lost them because of varroa.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Can anybody tell me how much Amm DNA would make these bees unique? Or survivors? Or wild or whatever they are supposed to be? How much Amm is there in bog standard black bees?

 

[Ian123]

Not sure these look like native survivors to me. This is a pic from his page. In fairness you probably wouldn’t want to do this with local bees, so maybe it’s a set up!!

 

[Ian123]

N

No idea. Also don't know how he managed to fit in managing wild bees with his career as a professional cyclist and an Oympic coach. Perhaps hasn't been too sucessful as he launched a Crowfunding exercise to fund the replacement 16 of 20 of 'his' colonies he lost. And raised £275
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wild-bees-local-honey-bees-community-hives-lost-apiaryCouldn't have lost them because of varroa.

Oooh it just gets better, at least he has 4 survivors perhaps if he learned to be a beekeeper he’d get better winter survival?

 

[Finman]

Not sure these look like native survivors to me. This is a pic from his page. In fairness you probably wouldn’t want to do this with local bees, so maybe it’s a set up!!View attachment 29075

Looks like ordinary Italian crossings. If I quess, they cold be crossings Carniolan x Italian, what do you say? Carniola x Italian are calm, and not eager to sting . But there are such, which like to defence their hive.

How do you see, that these are survivors? They are alive but, survived from what?

You can handle this way all bees, when you take them from swarm.

*****

But about his article above. Nothing odd in it. Many kind of thoughts, what he has from his longtime hobby.

 

[Ian123]

How do you see, that these are survivors? They are alive but, survived from what?

It appears the beekeeper in this instance!

 

[Finman]

Is this article from magazine Growdfunder?

An article to entertain folks. Nothing scientific purpose.

However, to find smoker fuel from this world seems to be much more difficult than find survivors from the middle of England.

 

[Apiarisnt]

Filipe Salbany Physiologist Oxford University & Wild Bee Manager at Blenheim Palace at BLENHEIM PALACE HERITAGE FOUNDATION Oxford, United Kingdom

According to this LinkedIn entry he commenced:

Beekeeping Support
Company Name
Freelance

Dates Employed Jan 1978 – Present
Employment Duration 43 yrs 11 mos
Location Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa

Apicultural support across Southern Africa.
Traditional hive methodologies
Rural beekeeping and support for developing communities


in January 1978, when he was eleven years old

 

[Jimmy]

According to this LinkedIn entry he commenced:

Beekeeping Support
Company Name
Freelance
Dates Employed Jan 1978 – Present
Employment Duration 43 yrs 11 mos
Location Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa

Apicultural support across Southern Africa.
Traditional hive methodologies
Rural beekeeping and support for developing communities


in January 1978, when he was eleven years old

For a few years up until about 2002 he was head rowing coach at Winchester College, he now works with Oxford University Boat Club as their physiologist. I think his background was as a professional cyclist. AFAIK at OUBC he helps monitor the physiological effect of training on the rowers, helping to optimise the training schedule on an individual basis.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

According to this LinkedIn entry he commenced:

Beekeeping Support
Company Name
Freelance
Dates Employed Jan 1978 – Present
Employment Duration 43 yrs 11 mos
Location Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa

Apicultural support across Southern Africa.
Traditional hive methodologies
Rural beekeeping and support for developing communities


in January 1978, when he was eleven years old

Sounds like a pile of blarney to me says a lot but also says zero

 

[Amari]

Tongue stuck in cheek?

No, I didn't know that.......

 

[Apiarist]

Can anybody tell me how much Amm DNA would make these bees unique? Or survivors? Or wild or whatever they are supposed to be? How much Amm is there in bog standard black bees?

*from memory*
In 2017 here in Ireland, 415 hives were sampled, 2 beeks stated they kept Buckfast types, so out of 413 samples of beeks that actively kept 'black' bees and the rest just keeping ... "bog standard bees", the average percent of AMM was just under 98%.

There was recently some additional information provided by the primary author (not included in the published research) in a webinar; he found that beeks of Buckfast types and beeks of 'black' bees which were within walking distance of each other (or at least a pleasant bicycle ride), did not result in lower amounts of Amm DNA in the 'black' bees, it appears from his results that he concluded the Amm virgins were NOT mating with the Buckfast type Drones, but that the Buckfast descended virgins were mating with the Amm Drones, resulting in little to no introgression in the AMM population.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My guess is that they will be found to be nothing more then local hybrid feral bees that have just happened to find a home to nest in. The fact the bees may e small could be to cavity size so smaller cells maybe are being produced.

Next someone will be claiming they have found a feral group of Robin hoods men in Sherwood.

Ok - leave Billy Hardcastle out of this

 

[Erichalfbee]

*from memory*
In 2017 here in Ireland, 415 hives were sampled, 2 beeks stated they kept Buckfast types, so out of 413 samples of beeks that actively kept 'black' bees and the rest just keeping ... "bog standard bees", the average percent of AMM was just under 98%.

There was recently some additional information provided by the primary author (not included in the published research) in a webinar; he found that beeks of Buckfast types and beeks of 'black' bees which were within walking distance of each other (or at least a pleasant bicycle ride), did not result in lower amounts of Amm DNA in the 'black' bees, it appears from his results that he concluded the Amm virgins were NOT mating with the Buckfast type Drones, but that the Buckfast descended virgins were mating with the Amm Drones, resulting in little to no introgression in the AMM population.

Thanks.
I wonder what all the fuss about importing bees into Ireland is if the Irish Amm queens don't mate with them anyway.

 

[Firefly]

.
[/QUOTE]

Its thought that Apis cerana migrated westward and spread into the African continent from Asia, and that Apis mellifera split from A.cerana 5-25 million years ago. The Ice Age only started around 116 000 years ago, so mellifera had time to evolve before the Ice Age.

Can you point me to a source for the 5-25 range? The number I carry around in my head is 3-10, because I "read it somewhere". I'd quite like to correct myself if I'm wrong. Thanks

 

[Finman]

Story of Blenheim survivors reminds me about "Winnie the pooh in hundred acre forest".

Somebody waiting DNA ananysis from Winnie Pooh?

 

[Finman]

There's a thread here if you would like to continue discussing the Blenheim bees rather than..

Do you think that something is open in the Mystery of Blenheim bees?

Blenheim castle, the birthplace on Winston Churshill.

Isolated place

1000 years old oak trees

A new bee race in the 1.6 km2 oak forest.

DNA analysis needed

In the middle of England.

Survivors from Ice Ace

 

[Murox]

.

Can you point me to a source for the 5-25 range? The number I carry around in my head is 3-10, because I "read it somewhere". I'd quite like to correct myself if I'm wrong. Thanks
[/QUOTE]
You could just google it - but you can find it referenced here and elsewhere.

 

[Finman]

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