Tomas Mozer wrote:
 
>Trevor's and Peter's postings have rekindled my curiosity on the date(s)
>of  early introductions to the new world...does anyone know if the
>vikings were beekeepers at the time of their vinland settlement in
>Newfoundland (about a millenium ago)?
>I too have heard of a date in the 1530's for a presumed (Spanish)
>introduction, but have not been able to find documentation for this...my
>2 editions of "the hive and the honeybee"(1975&1992) do not  have the
>1963 e.crane reference previously mentioned, could you post it more fully
>(peter)?
 
   One of the problems we have with the Internet is that erroneous
information gets posted and then seems to have a life of its own.
 
   The Eva Crane reference is as follows:
 
Crane, Eva.  1983.  THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF BEEKEEPING.  Cornell Univ. Press,
Ithaca.
 
   She has always been most thorough in her research.  On p. 33 of that
volume she wrote:  "Like Australia, the Americas have no native honey bees
(Apis), but some of the tropical areas are rich in the social stingless
bees or Meliponini...."
 
   And:  "Hives of European honey bees were shipped to North America from
1621 onwards.  The bees prospered, and gradually colonised North America
except for the far north...and in the later nineteenth century by direct
shipments to the West Coast."
 
   In my readings on the subject, I have found adequate independent
confirmation of her statements --- in articles not cited by her.
 
   As in may cases, some retain a romantic notion that honey bees must have
always been here (maybe Richard Taylor belongs in that category).  Before
honey bees, though, the native bees and hummingbirds (not found in Europe)
thrived on native flora.  The stucture and color of native blossoms also
match what one would expect if honey bees had not been here before
importation by Europeans.
 
                                                        Adrian
 
Adrian M. Wenner                         (805) 893-2838 (UCSB office)
Ecol., Evol., & Marine Biology           (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbara           (805) 963-8508 (home office & FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106
 
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*  "Discovery is to see what everyone else has seen,                  *
*         but to think what no one else has thought."                 *
*                                       ---    Albert Szent-Gyorgyi   *
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