>In this case, feral simply means bees not in hives. But beyond that, the whole point of the article is that there is no difference, at least in terms of immune response. 

What differences would you expect to find between bees in a hive and a swarm that escaped a week ago and now lives in a tree?

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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