> https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uoc-toh012318.php

This "alert" is based on an article in Science titled "Conserving honey bees does not help wildlife; High densities of managed honey bees can harm populations of wild pollinators." In it, they have a few references including one to:

Mallinger RE, Gaines-Day HR, Gratton C (2017) Do managed bees have negative effects on wild bees?: A systematic review of the literature. PLoS ONE 12(12): e0189268. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0189268

Presumably they are citing this to support their message. However, the actual prior work does not support them. It says in part:

most studies across all topical areas documented the *potential for impac*t (e.g. reporting the occurrence of competition or pathogens), but *did not measure direct effects* on wild bee fitness, abundance, or diversity. 

Furthermore, we found that results varied depending on whether managed bees were in their native or non-native range; managed bees within their native range had lesser competitive effects

We conclude that while this field has expanded considerably in recent decades, additional research measuring direct, long-term, and population-level effects of managed bees is needed to understand their potential impact on wild bees.

¶

Despite the inconclusive, incomplete nature of our knowledge of the impact of managed bees on native flora and fauna, the authors of the Science paper assert:

> managed honey bee hives should not be placed in protected areas, where they are likely to do the biggest damage to wild pollinators.

Again, this is pure conjecture. There is no case where it has been shown that honey bees have a longterm negative effect on native flora and fauna. Further, it is apparent that honey bees benefit from being cited in natural areas where there is an abundance and variety of forage, as opposed to being placed in mono-crop situations. Many beekeepers don't want to be around agriculture. It is a sad irony if they are banned from nature preserves as well.

PLB

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