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Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:48:01 -0600
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Hello Peter B. & All,
Thanks for the post Peter! Thousands of articles about AHB can be pulled
from the net saying the same thing as Peter posted. Is true so please do
not keep posting similar post to prove your point! Most researchers were of
the hypothesis the southern U.S. would be mostly pure scut and not what we
see. To bad they were wrong but glad they were! Very glad!

Commercial beekeepers are ecstatic  is not what we have seen in the U.S.
( nor Mexico with thousands of beekeepers)  since 1989. Twenty years of AHB
in the U.S.?

Researchers stood by their hypothesis and said their hypothesis ( all U.S.
bees becoming pure scut) would happen in time. 20 years and not yet?

The problem is what the post describes is not what happened in Mexico & the
southwest. We see a bee which will many times test AHB by the fabis test yet
workable and even though AHB drones are in the area only maybe one hive in a
100 will become aggressive.

 Researchers can attempt to stand by what they have written and say that the
AHB ( African hybrid Bee) is not a hybrid to cover their butts but does not
make sense . If a scut drone mates with a European queen then its a hybrid!

What we see in the fields and apiaries in areas of AHB does not fit what
these researchers say. Dee Lusbys bees come to mind. Many have went to see
her bees ( including our own Allen Dick) and her bees were workable.

In the U.S. we see for the most part a hybrid bee and not a takeover of pure
scuts. Period! In my opinion ( and ALL my friends) the researcher hypothesis
did not happen AND is not going to happen.

I would love to debate at a bee meeting what researchers said would happen
when AHB crossed from Mexico and what really happened. Pull up some old ABJ
& BC articles from the years before AHB entered the U.S.


What happened in Brazil at first with the pure scutellata release was much
different than what happened in the U.S.. However similar in my opinion with
what the AHB looks like in south Florida.

The only real experts on bee behavior are the beekeepers working bees daily
week after week in those areas. it is past time a commercial beekeeper
stepped forward  said its all about the degree of African genetics and we
have not seen total populations return to pure scutellata genetics AS the
article Peter suggests.

Many in Brazil say AHB is slowly becoming a workable bee. Not reverting to a
pure scut.

Interesting subject and time a few researchers face the reality of what
really happened when AHB entered the U.S.

bob

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