UK's first Native Bee reserve, Mt Edgecombe 25th May

[Bob Bee]

For those with an interest in Native Bees (AMM), I Will be attending the launch ceremony of the first UK black bee sanctuary at Mt Edgecombe later in the month. Everybody is welcome to join us for the official opening at 2pm.


Public invitation for the opening ceremony 2pm Thursday 25th May England’s first Black Bee Reserve at the French Conservatory Mount Edgcumbe Country Park 800 acres for native bees.
You'll be in good company.

Guests attending
Leaders of Plymouth and Cornwall Councils
Chief Executive of Plymouth and Cornwall
The membership of the Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee
Representatives of the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe
B4/BIPCo/CBIBBG Guests
The Press
Tim Smit, Patron from the outset. He facilitated partnerships with Eden and Heligon, where we now have permanent B4 apiaries and displays. Eden is a partner in the Plymouth/B4 NERC PhD.
Michael Eavis, Patron.
Dr Mairi Knight. Plymouth University and B4 have won funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for a joint project. B4 will be the CASE (Collaborative awards in science and engineering) partner for a NERC funded PhD student , starting September 2017. Washington State University is also a partner. Rupert Mcallum,the MSc student, starts next month in collaboration with B4, January 2017.
Chris Gregory, Duchy Land Steward. The Duchy have acquired some 2000 acres at the other end of the Rame Peninsula and support the aims of the B4Project. http://duchyofcornwall.org/…/duchy-helps-cornish-black-bees/
Kurt and Caroline Jackson. Kurt Jackson's exhibition, “Bees (And the Odd Wasp) in My Bonnet” opens on the 25th March in St Just. B4 are supported in the exhibition. http://www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com/index/bees/
Luke Harding, Curator, Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Paignton Zoo. Paignton Zoo has been a partner from the outset, with a B4 apiary and observation hive and is a partner in the NERC PhD project..
Cllr George Trubody Rame facilitated the iconic Black Bee Haven at Mount Edgcume. Mount Edgcume is strategic in that it is a 20 minute ferry ride from Plymouth University and is jointly owned by Plymouth City Council and Cornwall County Council.
Chris Burton is the manager of Mount Edgcumbe, with a background in Project Management of Environmental and Countryside Projects. The Black Bee Reserve extends over 800acres of the Rame Peninsular and 10 miles of coastal path.

 

[Jimbo]

Congratulations on your Native bee reserve, however you may not be able to claim as being the first in the U.K. as the Scottish government gave conservation protection to the island of Colonsay for the Scottish native AMM a number of years ago. You might be also be interested in looking at the Scottish Native Honeybee Society website that was launched on the first of April this year. It has similar aims to your own


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[B+.]

black bee sanctuary at Mt Edgecombe later in the month.

Out of curiousity, I wonder what legal standing this "sanctuary" has.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

They are being quite clever, the area is referred to as a black bee reserve and not as a native bee reserve, though the latter is implied. DNA analysis has shown the origins of Cornwall's black bees to be predominately French.

 

[alldigging]

They are being quite clever, the area is referred to as a black bee reserve and not as a native bee reserve, though the latter is implied. DNA analysis has shown the origins of Cornwall's black bees to be predominately French.

This link contradicts your statement. Do you have a source for yours?

http://www.cornishbees.com/blog.html
THE LATEST DNA ANALYSIS CARRIED OUT IN 2015 BY APIGENIX IN SWITZERLAND HAS DEMONSTRATED WITHOUT DOUBT THAT WE NOW HAVE AMM BEES IN OUR STOCKS WHICH ARE FROM 94.4% PURE NATIVE BEES TO AN ASTONISHING 99.4% PURE
THE RESULTS ARE SHOWN FOR OUR BEES BELOW:
17 Bob Black Sea view farm, Boswin
0.970
19 Bob Black , Falmouth
0.994
20 Bob Black Chyanhall, Treluswell
0.945
21 Bob Black Godolphin, Helston
0.944

 

[Quis Custodiet]

alldigging. Thank you for the link, it is noted that there is no attempt to segregate Amm bees of continental origin from Amm bees of Cornish origin. I rest my case, perhaps the latter is uncommon. But in any event thank you again for posting.

 

[For want of a better word]

alldigging. Thank you for the link, it is noted that there is no attempt to segregate Amm bees of continental origin from Amm bees of Cornish origin. I rest my case, perhaps the latter is uncommon. But in any event thank you again for posting.

Perhaps you have not seen or wish to understand the whole( unpublished) facts, I have, and although close to Amm bees of other origin there are at a minimum two distinctively different Cornish strains.

Yeghes da

 

[Beefriendly]

This link contradicts your statement. Do you have a source for yours?

http://www.b4project.co.uk/the-four...f-the-native-irish-bee-society/pg-2-page-001/

This previous DNA analysis suggests they are more related to French Amm's than English Amm's.
Also good to see they are now stating they are becoming a bit "tamer"....I had always heard they were a bit on the feisty side......although I was always told I was wrong. Seems I may have been correct after all

What is puzzling is the graphs on your link which still show (assuming the pi chart on the right is the Cornish Amm) that they are only 75% Amm in general.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Perhaps you have not seen or wish to understand the whole( unpublished) facts, I have, and although close to Amm bees of other origin there are at a minimum two distinctively different Cornish strains.

Yeghes da

Thank you, but if there is supporting evidence, I would certainly welcome seeing it. To date all we have seen here is some very clever commercial advertising. It would also be reassuring to learn how the DNA of Cornish AMM has been established....that is if it has been.

 

[alldigging]

What is puzzling is the graphs on your link which still show (assuming the pi chart on the right is the Cornish Amm) that they are only 75% Amm in general.

Was there a link or reference to the original work? I didn't notice

 

[Beefriendly]

Was there a link or reference to the original work? I didn't notice

Definitely confused dot com.
It was taken from the link you gave.....http://www.cornishbees.com/blog.html
Look at the pie charts.

 

[alldigging]

Definitely confused dot com.
It was taken from the link you gave.....http://www.cornishbees.com/blog.html
Look at the pie charts.

Ta
I meant a source from APIGENIX IN SWITZERLAND..

(Not shouting that's the Copy and pasted from the page)

 

[Quis Custodiet]

The pie charts are the round ones near the scones

 

[alldigging]

The pie charts are the round ones near the scones

But which way does the jam and cream go on?

 

[Quis Custodiet]

But which way does the jam and cream go on?

Jam and cream?????? Honey surely

 

[Beefriendly]

Ta
I meant a source from APIGENIX IN SWITZERLAND..

This is obviously a wind up....You gave this link as a reference to the latest Apigenix results. I just went there and read it, assuming you were referring to Apigenix results. Your link whilst quoting your pure stuff also has the results that show the average "purity" (the Pie chart) is 75%.....the highly pure ones are simply a very small part of the overall population. Which ones are being used to "stock" the reserve?

http://www.cornishbees.com/blog.html
THE LATEST DNA ANALYSIS CARRIED OUT IN 2015 BY APIGENIX IN SWITZERLAND HAS DEMONSTRATED WITHOUT DOUBT THAT WE NOW HAVE AMM BEES IN OUR STOCKS WHICH ARE FROM 94.4% PURE NATIVE BEES TO AN ASTONISHING 99.4% PURE
THE RESULTS ARE SHOWN FOR OUR BEES BELOW:
17 Bob Black Sea view farm, Boswin
0.970
19 Bob Black , Falmouth
0.994
20 Bob Black Chyanhall, Treluswell
0.945
21 Bob Black Godolphin, Helston
0.944

 

[mbc]

Nice to see more recognition that native bees need protecting, shame the usual suspects have jumped on an amm thread to muddle the message in their own interests.

 

[Swarm]

For those with an interest in Native Bees (AMM)

Unfortunately Bob, the usual suspects have arrived to rubbish your thread. However, those of us who do have an interest think this is excellent news.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Unfortunately Bob, the usual suspects have arrived to rubbish your thread. However, those of us who do have an interest think this is excellent news.

Would you elaborate on that comment please and to whom are you referring?

 

[Beefriendly]

Unfortunately Bob, the usual suspects have arrived to rubbish your thread. However, those of us who do have an interest think this is excellent news.

I for one never said it wasn't excellent news. I keep a few Irish Amm's (96 percentile), always good to keep some British rare breeds going. I'd just like to think I'm just more realistic about "purity issues". There are no pure native UK bees left. To kid others there are is just hogwash.
Even the protected Colonsay Amm's have some Italian genes in them.
It's good we are preserving what is left of our original native bee, but we cannot undo history. It would be more realistic if people accepted this instead of taking the usual cheap digs and contributing nothing else.

What would be more popular is if these purer strains queens where made more easily available to other beekeepers so they could assess them for their themselves. Currently they are mythical unicorns available to only a few.