There is a fair amount of anti-honey bee sentiment in certain quarters. Some in Australia see them simply as feral pests and any competition with native fauna is then by definition adverse. I see similar arguments emerging in North America, presumably from those who don't eat fruit or vegetables.

In the UK the argument is that honey bees might be native, but not THESE honey bees, i.e. hybrid 'mongrels' which not pure British Apis mellifera mellifera, the latter now confined to a few remote areas - and seemingly Ireland still. 

It does seem reasonable though to consider our bees as livestock. After all, truly wild populations have become a rarity in many places and are often replaced by escaped swarms. Meanwhile beekeepers work to breed-in desired traits and breed-out behaviours we don't like, often using a narrow gene pool. How is this not some form of domestication?

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