> A lot of the debate in this issue of competition is from people
> who are expressing an opinion.

True.  Nonetheless, the simple fact that is getting buried is that if one moves
3 or more hives per acre into an area during a period when another competing
insect is active  you are going to have heavy competition.  I have understood
that some species only are active for a month or so a year and dormant the rest.
This is particularly true in a year when the plants are not yielding well. We
don't need refereed research to know that.  We only have to look at our own bees
to see the effects or speak to the leafcutter beekeeper that pollinates the same
field with us.

That is not to say that the competition in all such cases is necessarily direct,
since each species will have slightly different foraging advantages (preference,
time of day, method of approach, length of tongue, range etc.) and requirements.
It is to say, though that if one insect cleans up *all* available nectar and
pollen in the area -- which we know honey bees will do when heavily stocked on
pollination -- that there will be nothing left to argue about for the other
species.

Some of those species may only get one opportunity per year to go through the
foraging part of their cycle, but the honey bees may have made a clean getaway
on a lorry to an area where they can recover.

allen
http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/