The paper in question states:

This result for tree enclosures implies higher
levels of humidity in the nest, increased survival of smaller
colonies and lower Varroa destructor breeding success. 

The implied improved survival in hives with thermal
properties of tree nests may help to solve some of the problems
honeybees are currently facing in apiculture.

* * *

I would call attention to the use of the term "implied." There is a world of difference between actual survival and "implied survival," whatever that may mean. While it might take many years to track survival of colonies under various situations, the fact remains that honey bee colonies select nest sites based on definite criteria. And our understanding of natural selection states that these criteria are the result of hundreds of thousands of years of selection favoring the bees that chose the best nest sites. 

Studies like this sidestep the important point: long term survival prosperity of European honey bees may require the assistance of beekeepers. Having taken the honey bee to all parts of the globe, we are also now its custodian in many of these places. Where beekeepers fail to thrive, honey bee populations also fall. Therefore designing hives that preclude easy management of the colonies will hasten rather than retard the demise of honey bees in areas where there are not large feral populations. 

If it is really true that bees do better in hollow trees than bee hives, then the species will survive in areas where there are sufficient hollow trees. These feral colonies, however, may be few and far between, and may not provide populations adequate for the pollination of crops upon which people depend. While I welcome any new information which is aimed at enhancing honey bee survival, I take a dim view of impractical solutions like building log hives and hoisting them into the forest canopy. 

PLB

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