Robt Mann comments on the the most powerful tool yet devised my man, DNA
sequencing, thus: 'this idea holds v little if any promise for doing good to
bees and may lead to harm'.  Furthermore, this would appear to inevitably
lead to GM bees, a 'fad which combines rotten science with dishonest
business'.  OK then, here we are back to GM-bashing!  (Or just plain
trolling?)  I thought that we were going to leave this topic alone.

Genome sequencing has nothing to do with creating GM bees, and everything to
do with understanding how bees work.  It will not give sudden and profound
understanding, but it will facilitate (along with other disciplines) a
gradual but deep appreciation of how bees work.  We are here to engage in
'Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology'.  Crucial to
being informed is understanding the genes that hold the blueprint for bees,
and eventually how they interact and how their proteins interact ... and how
*they* interact with honeybee's pathogens, stresses and environment.  Yet we
shouldn't go there in case the information encourages big business (lured by
the prospects of making enormous fortunes from the beekeeping industry?!)
into making GM bees?

I hadn't heard that someone wanted to sequence the bee genome, but if they
do, and if they will permit wide use of that information, I applaud it.

Gavin.