Type of bee that best survives hornet predation

[SteveHLD]

My gut feeling is that prolific colonies will fare better with Asian Hornet predation than non-prolific bees, does anyone know any better??

 

[For want of a better word]

My gut feeling is that prolific colonies will fare better with Asian Hornet predation than non-prolific bees, does anyone know any better??

Probably not.... I wonder if the Carnolian Amm cross with its defensive reputation will be the way forward... they will be chasing the Asians out of their area!!!


Beef.. I woz being IRONIC!

Yeghes da

 

[mazzamazda]

My gut feeling is that prolific colonies will fare better with Asian Hornet predation than non-prolific bees, does anyone know any better??

I find location and size of colony are the factors that determine whether a colony is repeatedly attacked. Any end hives, hives placed with reverse entrances and hives with high volume of foragers are the ones which suffer most losses.

 

[user 6228]

I find location and size of colony are the factors that determine whether a colony is repeatedly attacked. Any end hives, hives placed with reverse entrances and hives with high volume of foragers are the ones which suffer most losses.

reverse entrance ?

 

[Finman]

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Opposite (direction)? ......> Lonely target to wasps

 

[Chiangmai member]

This year in Chiangmai, Thailand we have not kept any A mellifera colonies at home and have instead allowed a few native bee Apis cerana colonies to take up residence. What is interesting is how little interest Vespa velutina hornets show in A. cerana. At this time of year, there would be upwards of 50 hornets a day buzzing around the hive entrances, taking returning mellifera foragers. I haven't noticed any velutina hawking the cerana colonies over the past week.

So what does the native bee, (which has of course co-evolved with several Vespa species) do that mellifera does not? Well there are four things. 1). Foragers return to the hive 'hot' (i.e. at a much faster speed than mellifera), making it more difficult for hornets to intercept them; 2) They spatter the entrance area to the hive with flecks of cow dung or pig manure, which studies have shown deter some hornet species from landing on the hive; 3) When a hornet does hover near the hive, guard bees on the outside of the hive, shiver in unison, creating a wave effect that may confuse the predator; and 4) Cerana colonies will abscond if food supplies become low or they are threatened by predators, (hornets, bears, bee eaters, humans), returning to the original site when conditions improve. Through this suite of defenses a balance has been achieved between native hornet and native bee- a balance that has evolved over millennia. No wonder we get in so much trouble when exotics are introduced, intentionally or otherwise.

Incidentally, I was talking to an entomologist recently who told me that 50 years ago Vespa velutina was rare in northern Thailand. The introduction and farming of an exotic bee (A, melilifera) which has not yet evolved any defense against native predators here, appears to have allowed local V. velutina populations to proliferate.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ceranae is the way forward!
.....and we all know what happened the last time someone dabbled with bringing them over this way

 

[Finman]

Cerana is a special talent. IT has plenty of hives, where combs are hanging in air. In nature its nest is without protective cavity.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Cerana is a special talent. IT has plenty of hives, where combs are hanging in air.

What? levitating combs?

 

[Chiangmai member]

Cerana is a special talent. IT has plenty of hives, where combs are hanging in air. In nature its nest is without protective cavity.

That would be Apis dorsata, the Giant Himalayan Honey Bee. Its an impressive bee. Imagine a colony of mellifera queens! Found high up in trees throughout S & SE Asia and featuring in many nature documentaries.

Apis cerana is a much smaller species that establishes colonies in cavities- house rafters especially. As far as I know, nobody has successfully domesticated Apis dorsata, although there have been many painful attempts.

 

[Finman]

Apis cerana is a much smaller species that establishes colonies in cavities- house rafters especially. As far as I know, nobody has successfully domesticated Apis dorsata, although there have been many painful attempts.

I have read about urban Japanese cerana research. Most of hives hanged in open air in the city. 20% lived in closed cavities.

I met in Malaysia visit a cerana hive, whose combs hanged under human house floor. I broke that hive, when the house owner asked.
IT had 6-7 combs, as far as I remember right. Volume was about one langstroth box.

That Malaysian cerana was very small.

 

[Finman]

What? levitating combs?

All combs levitate

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You really need to be a bit more careful about which mushrooms you pick

 

[Finman]

You really need to be a bit more careful about which mushrooms you pick

Idea was yours. Don't blame me.

 

[For want of a better word]

You really need to be a bit more careful about which mushrooms you pick

Fly agaric and reindeer pee come to mind

Known in Finland as a FlyBee Flip when mixed with gin and Advocat!

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

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Reindeer pee is a distance which a reindeer goes without peeing.

Fly agaric? Some innovation from Native Ice Ace. Finland was covered with lake on that time.

Yeah! Learn to laugh to yourself. Now I understand what does it mean.

I remember Tamar Valley apples, valley's water and folk stories and nay to all imports. And DIY laughing.

 

[Finman]

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i remembered my pills.