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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Thu, 19 Dec 2019 09:58:25 -0500
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Re: Darwin's Black Box
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Pete B <[log in to unmask]>
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Hi all
As we speak, this issue is being re-framed as an animal rights situation:

> To avoid negative effects of crowding on honey bee welfare, already small measures like dispersing hives with about 30 m distance could help (Seeley and Smith 2015). For developing practicable measures for the beekeeping industry, procedures should be tested in smaller pilot studies. Adapting management practices to honey bee biology in an achievable manner could mean a large step towards higher welfare for managed honey bee colonies. ... Organic beekeepers seek a more sustainable management of their colonies, respecting honey bee biology to a higher extent than do conventional beekeepers. ... Therefore, colony welfare may get larger interest in this group. ... Most of the present scientific knowledge on honey bees is based on managed colonies. This stresses the need of a holistic perspective on the welfare issue.

Garrido, Claudia, and Antonio Nanetti. "Welfare of managed honey bees." The Welfare of Invertebrate Animals. Springer, Cham, 2019. 69-104.

* That was taken from Chapter Four in "The Welfare of Invertebrate Animals." In the preface of the book, they state:

> Switzerland now regulates experiments on cephalopods and decapod crustaceans, and Norway does the same with squids, octopus, and crustaceans (and honey bees) ... The immensely diversified group of invertebrates is the new territory for this process of transformation. Given the nature and the extent of such a presence, reasoning about their moral status and human responsibilities toward them is strongly recommended.

* Anyone who has been following discussions on Artificial Intelligence will not fail to notice the parallel between attributing intelligence to machines and attributing feelings to insects. The following statement summarizes Chapter Two (Invertebrates and Humans: Science, Ethics, and Policy):

> The key issue in reasoning about invertebrates’ protection is the scientific assessment of their capacity for sentience.

* I could go on, but I will leave it at that. 

Peter L Borst 
Ithaca, NY USA
19 Dec 2019

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