"Personally, I think the idea of genetically modifying honey bees to suit our needs is simply the wrong way to proceed."

I agree.  Althou I would likely pick stronger language it is such a stupid idea.  Perhaps 100 years from now it might make sense in a very limited fashion.  Today we have no GM livestock that are commercial or aimed at being commercial for the meat or milk market and none on the horizon.  The reason is simple.  They simply are not needed as classic breeding based on DNA sequencing is fully capable of delivering the types of animals we need.  If it does not make sense for cows or hogs or chickens it sure does not make sense for honey bees where the current state of the art is near total lack of breeding control for one sex except in rare and special situations.

If anyone is reading anything I have written in the past about selection or breeding in honey bees and conclude I support making GM bees they are not understanding what I said at all.  I do not even think the subspecies crosses that were practiced by brother Adam or that resulted in Africanized honey bees are the proper way to go forward with a sensible breeding program.

Dick

HL Mencken said: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed — and hence clamorous to be led to safety — by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. "

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