"Survivor bees" found in Blenheim Forest

[Finman]

When I look pictures from Blenheim forest, it is not natural forest. It is so called open forest or savanna type. At least 4/5 out of trees have been cut away, and few trees have left to grow in open position. Sun shines to every place in the forest, and it it us pleasant to walk in such savanna than dense qenuine forest. And you can see all individual trees.

Now there are lots of low vegetation between trees. I cannot see bushes there. But such small 1.6 km2 vegetation does not give enough food to 50 colonies. They surely forage outside of that magic savanna forest. Are there 50 colonies, who knows.

I am sure that this agitation campaign is meant to serve as advertising the Palace to public. The advertising is sold very many magazines or papers now. Even Swedish beekeeping magazine has published this story.

Question is about Entertainment Industry. Idea is to make all people happy.

The Story has no biological value. Too much facts and adjectives are against known biology.

How in earth somebody finds suddenly 50 hidden colonies from middle of England from the parkforest of famous Blenheim Palace. Colonies have beed there thousands of years and nobody knew that. But suddenly now...

50 colonies, which send every summer 100 swarms to the environment. And nobody has noticed such happening, when they have visited in the park.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Question is about Entertainment Industry. Idea is to make all people happy.

Well, even clowns need to make a living!

 

[Ian123]

It will be interesting to see what the DNA results come back with, but I rather feel those that those he does test will be self selected. 1 he’s not going to have tested the lot. 2 I doubt he’ll test any that look like those in his previous picture. So a fair reflection of what is in the area would be hard to get. After all if your looking for a dark AMM type you’ll not test the yellow Italians in the third tree on the left! I’m also wondering What the go fund me page was for! He makes hives out of logs the bees live free in trees. He had plenty of empty equipment? Maybe he wanted the cash to buy in some decent VSH queens?

 

[Finman]

It will be interesting to see what the DNA results come back with,

DNA can only spoil the good secret.
But can the DNA test make difference between ancient black bee and modern black bee. What kind is DNA of survivor?
.

 

[alancooper]

Anyone written a letter to The Times yet?

 

[Ian123]

Hang on I’ve just had a thought!!!!!!!! If the gentleman in question can up is loss rate by just a couple of percent, well he’ll soon be eminently qualified to write a book on sustainable beekeeping. Of course that may have been done before

 

[maddydog]

Well, even clowns need to make a living!

No doubt 'survivor' honey will soon be making an appearance in the palace gift shop adorned with a picture of Churchill flashing the v's

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Guy Thomson has just posted a piece on Twitter which can also be read here. Maybe this discussion could continue after people have read his piece?

 

[Erichalfbee]

No doubt 'survivor' honey will soon be making an appearance in the palace gift shop adorned with a picture of Churchill flashing the v's

They will have to sell it in 45ml jars.

 

[maddydog]

Walked around the Blenheim estate a couple of years ago. Looked pretty much like estate where I keep most of my bees - managed pasture and woodland with a few areas left to their own devices. Certainly nothing like the Jurassic Eden being portrayed?

 

[Finman]

Guy Thomson has just posted a piece on Twitter which can also be read here. Maybe this discussion could continue after people have read his piece?

You think, that small forest will change the somehow beekeeping in England. What it might be.

If those bees are so special, as we hope, why they have not spread to whole England.

First years 100 swarms, next 300 , then 700, 1350, 2700 , 5400, 11 000...

200% more colonies every year.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Guy Thomson has just posted a piece on Twitter which can also be read here. Maybe this discussion could continue after people have read his piece?

doesn't really say anything - again a matter of hope over reality.
The Walter Mitty Appreciation society want them to be some magical bees that time forgot so, as he claims, proof is not really important, and whatever the results of the tests, if it doesn't suit their fantasy, they'll just ignore it.
This is the same crowd that feel happy enough to lose their colonies through varoosis every few years

 

[Ian123]

Well this bit got me and goes back to a comment I made in a previous post!I think Guy has nailed his colours to the mast

.”It is a tribute to the project that they have sought to prevent managed beekeeping on and around the estate,”

sure a tribute to them and a pain in the arse to every normal beekeeper in the area. I also see no mention in this article of his go fund me page due to his recent high losses.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

.”It is a tribute to the project that they have sought to prevent managed beekeeping on and around the estate,”

But the statement is billhooks - there is managed beekeeping all over the area. What planet are these fools on? do they live in a parallel universe (or is that just asking the obvious?)

 

[Finman]

This?
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...rs-of-lost-british-honeybee-found-at-blenheim

Yeah!

Have you ever met "ecotype bees"?

What it might look like?

 

[Mint Bee]

Guy Thomson has just posted a piece on Twitter which can also be read here. Maybe this discussion could continue after people have read his piece?

The pictures indicate a managed woodland, therefore there is a human influence to the estate and so the bees, which appears to be ignored in the articles on the subject.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And funnily enough I recall a few years ago helping someone who was tenant to quite a big chunk of land in that area, find someone to establish a few apiaries on the estate.

 

[user 20297]

Yeah!

Have you ever met "ecotype bees"?

What it might look like?

Like this...

 

[Finman]

The pictures indicate a managed woodland, therefore there is a human influence to the estate and so the bees, which appears to be ignored in the articles on the subject.

It is ancient woodland...
I have wondered, why English countryside has so huge oaks in the middle of fields? I suppose that oaks drop their huge acorn crop and domestic animals get good forage from them. Surely you know better the history of big oaks.

 

[Finman]

Like this...View attachment 29110

Yes. Survivors from some unhappy demonstration