12/7/2023 0 Comments Wild honey bee hive![]() ![]() (6) It has even been found in our surveys over the past five winters that those who do not treat have lower colony losses each winter than those who treat. Well studied populations of unmanaged colonies in Europe and the USA are coping with Varroa without any kind of treatment.(3,4,5) In my county most members of its two beekeepers' associations have long since stopped any chemical treatment for Varroa. That was 16 years ago and now so many accounts from round the UK support the proposition that wild/feral colony numbers have completed their rebound. She also quotes a paper published as long ago as 2000 indicating that ''wild' honeybee populations are starting to rebound'. ![]() Indeed Thompson appears to use the terms 'feral' and 'wild' interchangeably, a usage which accords with dictionary definitions of the term. What is the difference between feral colonies and the 'wild' colonies to which Roweth refers? The answer is there is no difference. By considering land area only below the 300 metres contour we can reasonably estimate from these limited samples that Britain-wide, the numbers of ferals could be in the many thousands, if not tens of thousands. In a radius of about 15 miles around my home in NW Wales the number of ferals monitored by myself and associates are in the dozens.(2) And data are also available from Scotland. in just a small part of that area, John Haverson and colleagues are monitoring over 80 long term ferals within a radius of 10 miles. She considered only 68 colonies in England for her research on feral health, narrowing it for further study to 34 ferals that were paired with nearby managed colonies. thesis in 2012.(1) Most of the thesis implicitly defines a feral colony as one that is not managed by beekeepers. Much depends on how you define 'wild' honeybees and where you look for them.Ī moderately authoritative report on feral/wild colonies in Britain was presented in Catherine Thompson's Ph.D. 27 & 30) Stuart Roweth writes 'Since the invasion of the honeybee's number one enemy Varroa destructor, this parasite has wiped out virtually all 'wild' honeybee colonies, so beekeepers have become the guardians of honeybees and will have to safeguard their future.' Aside from the old beekeeping joke that the honeybee's No.1 enemy is the beekeeper, this raises several issues, the main one being that wild honeybee colonies have not been wiped out. In his article entitled 'Varroa and the Bee Gym – helping bees to help themselves' (S&F 124, pp.
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