At 2/13/02 10:47 AM, you wrote:
>it's not even conceivable that during the 7 centuries of Moslem presence there were not
>bees moving between Iberia and Africa, one doesn't even have to use this
>example.

I am not so sure about people moving hives back and forth. Why would they move bees if there were already bees in those locations? The concept of moving hives originated from the need for bees in areas where they were not. The idea of moving a particular *type* of bee did not come about until much later, probably the 1800s. Also, although Apis Mellifera iberica and A. m. intermissa are related, they are certainly not identical. Iberica appears to be a transitional type between intermissa and A. m. mellifera, but is much more like mellifera (the European black bee). In fact, it is only by DNA analysis that we know that iberica and intermissa are related.

One cannot assume that bees were transported across the seas in great numbers without some evidence. As far as the bees being used as weapons, I would imagine those died on duty

pb