While discussing Africanized bee behavior in the US, Bob said:

"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."

What an amazing statement!

Does anyone on the list know of a "commercial beekeeper" who can
authoritatively discuss 'the degree of African Genetics'?  IMHO, it is only
the researchers who are capable of discussing and determining such a
'degree'.  Do we know that we are not seeing (in southern states) 'pure
scutellata genetics'?

Scutellata is a widely dispersed insect in its home range with behaviors
that range from gentle to wildly aggressive.  As it happens, the 26 queens
introduced in Brazil had progeny that were largely aggressive.  In the
ensuing years, beekeepers in Brazil, Mexico, and other countries selected
for less aggressive tendencies and also learned 'how' to work them with
little danger to the beekeeper.

AFAIK, the scientific community is holding to their view that hybrids of
scutellata and mellifira are not significantly less aggressive than 'pure'
scutellata and that scutellata is rapidly becoming dominate in the South.
But that does not mean that all scutellata are always wildly aggressive.

As far as commercial beekeepers and their observations and experience are
concerned, here in NYS I can refer interested parties to commercial
beekeepers who winter in Florida and have hives that they avoid any contact
with.  They call those hives 'Africanized'.  Other hives they have they can
work with ease, but they may or may not be 100% scutellata, the commercial
beekeepers do not know or even care.  The important matters is that they can
be worked as if they were mellifera, and they collect lots of honey!

BTW, commercial beekeepers in NYS literaly 'hide' their hives that they are
sure are Africanized (and widely  agressive) as the XXXXX@@@@! Inspection
Service has been known to destroy such hives (rather than insist they only
be requeened).

Lloyd

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Access BEE-L directly at:
http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L