I have no scientific evidence other than what I personally see and  
think.  I am one of 150 beekeepers in my county.

I am getting lots of swarm calls.  LOTS.  I am not in the south but  
just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.  I have documented 5 bee trees, and  
at least 18 swarms that have not come from domestic colonies (no  
marked queens no registered colonies nearby).

I disagree with the article that wild or feral colonies (defined as  
unkept bees with European origin) are on the decline, at least in our  
region.  They appear to be doing quite well.

I'll argue that with more hobbyists coming into the fold we will see  
even more feral/wild colonies as these new folks learn to control  
swarming.

I've been documenting what I see here: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117886624143477054096.00044e0f2a3594950f7cf&ll=39.163476,-84.790335&spn=0.040062,0.061798&z=14

There might be one other beekeeper that is helping add data, but most  
is what I collected.

My theory here is this:  European Honey Bees are non-native but  
quickly portions of the US as migration moved out from initial  
colonies both as a result of human and bee movement.  Our wild and  
feral population are descendants of these and subsequent waves of  
apiary expansion in the 1800s, especially with the advent of modern  
beekeeping.  Lots of home with bees meant lots of swarms through sheer  
statistical numbers.  You cannot keep them all from swarming. If the  
swarm made it a season it would then swarm, maybe even several times.

Fast forward over a century and we are looking at something similar.   
Migration of humans has stopped, but the lack of beekeepers means less  
swarming in certain regions.  Add to that the hits the feral  
population took each time a disease, pest, or virus ran across the  
nation and you see a noticeable decline, but the more colonies that  
are distributed across the US now means we will see a increase in  
feral colonies down the line, many from other types of survivor stock  
that are robust.

I think we are, in fact, seeing a upswing in feral colonies.

Is anyone else getting a similar vibe?

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
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