Greetings all,
 
With respect to the current debate on the merits and dangers of
foreign bee introductions (started by Doug Yanega), I thought I would
add my two cents.
 
I agree wholeheartedly with those in the caution-camp. For whatever
reason, and particularly for a reason such as potential pollination
enhancement, introductions of foreign species (bees or otherwise)
should be carried out with great caution, and only after exhaustive
testing. Surely there are enough disaster stretching back through the
centuries to warn us against willy-nilly introductions. For those
of us of the honeybee persuasion, the history of Aficanized
honeybees (= Pretoria killer bees; how are they doing, anyway?),
Varroa, Tracheal mites and all the others should be evidence enough.
I have difficulty perceiving a case for the introduction of a foreign
species that has sufficient merit, save for that of the control of an
already introduced foreign, now pest, species.
 
One of the correspondents in this debate (I'm sorry, I don't remember
who it was) asked if there was literature on the damage caused by
introductions. There is some, on the damage caused by honeybees
(exotics) to indigenous bee fauna. Examples are "Bioscience, 43(2),
95-103, 1993" and "Aust. J. Ecology, 16, 171-181, 1991". I have a
related concern in Africa, where honeybees are indigenous, and have
been trying for some time to get some work done on the subject. That
is, that commercial beekeeping grossly inflates the numbers of
honeybees in a region in an episodic manner, corresponding with the
time of year that that region is yielding most nutrition to the other
bee fauna - which reside in the region for the whole year (unlike
the honeybees). And that this would (could?) result in the honeybees
negatively influencing the populations of other bees, and also such
flora that these other bees (and any other pollinating insects) might
be specialized on. And conversely, flora that are attractive to
honeybees might be greatly increased by the periodic and timely
introduction of large numbers of honeybees. Therefore, as I see it,
commercial beekeeping can very easily cause shifts in both the
natural flora and fauna of a region, sometimes perhaps even
contributing to the elimination of sensitive species.
 
I don't suppose the above argument is very attractive to commercial
beekeepers (and of course the same argument can be applied to the
introduction of other foreign bees for pollination purposes), but
surely, sometime, the effect (positive or negative) of commercial
beekeeping on natural systems should be examined.
 
On a different, and vaguely related subject, some of you might be
aware of the problems the Cape honeybee (capensis) is causing in
beekeeping in South Africa. Some capensis colonies were taken by
unwitting human hands from its natural distribution in the Cape to
the Transvaal, home of scutellata (=African=Africanized) - and this
has resulted in perhaps 75% of African honeybee colonies being wiped
out; the killer bees themselves killed! The details of the disaster
are in print (American Bee Journal February 1993, and others) - and
the latest news is the problem is as bad as ever, and our best
efforts to turn it around have bean fruitless.
 
When it first became known that capensis was damaging scutellata,
there were enterprising suggestions that capensis might be used in
the Americas to control the Africanized bees. Not a good idea; we
know that capensis would result in the end of European-derived
honeybees far more easily than it get rids of scutellata. It might
help in regards to the Africanized bees, but would eliminate all the
bees you are trying to protect.
 
Finally, to the point of all this. It has come to my attention that
the Americas nearly had a problem potentially even more severe than
that caused by Africanized bees. That is, at the same time as
scutellata was taken to Brazil (late 1950's), capensis was also
taken. And established in good colonies, and studied at least for a
reasonable period of time. Africanized bees are difficult, but at
least they are there. If capensis had got going they might have done
what hey have done in their non-native areas of South Africa; that
is, wiped out most of the commercial honeybee stock, with little
chance of rebuilding popuations in the forseeable future. A lesson
that nevermind not take bees to different continents; don't even move
them around within one country.
 
That brings me to my question. I am writing a short note to the ABJ
regarding their close capensis escape; does anyone out there know of
any other time that capensis might have been taken to the Americas. I
would be extremely grateful for any such information.
 
Many thanks,
 
Cheers
 
Mike
 
 
  MIKE ALLSOPP
      HONEYBEE RESEARCH DIVISION
      PLANT PROTECTION RESEARCH INSTITUTE
      P/BAG X5017, STELLENBOSCH, 7599
      SOUTH AFRICA
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