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Subject:
From:
"J. Waggle" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 14 Oct 2005 19:51:26 -0700
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 Rip Bechmann <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Can you provide any evidence to prove that being
smaller makes them (AHB) any
>more "harmonious" with nature?

Rip,

'Outperforming' would indicate they are more
harmonious.  Here's an example of this.

In the study:
"Diet selection and foraging distances of African and
European-African hybrid honey bee colonies in Costa
Rica"  S.S. Schneider1, and H.G. Hall

http://makeashorterlink.com/?R2FE52BFB

They establish here in 'table one' the cell sizes for
large European, and small cell sizes for the African
test colonies.

Colony   Cell Size   mtDNA analysis

1        4.65        African African
2        5.05        European European
3        4.55        African African
4        5.00        European European
5        4.75        African African
6        5.15        European African
7        4.70        African European
8        4.90        European European
9        4.75        African African

You can see for yourself that the European group is of
larger cell size than the African group, which is
small cell sized.

They state that:
"African and hybrid colonies did not differ
significantly in population size, the areas of comb
devoted to brood rearing and food storage,
flight activity, pollen foraging activity, or the
distances traveled to pollen and nectar sources.
These nonsignificant differences suggest that the
foraging behavior of the two colony types may
have been more influenced by environmental factors
than by genetically determined dietary or
movement preferences."

So in the above they are saying the colonies are equal
in most aspects from the start, and throughout the
study. They are stating here that any differences in
foraging behavior of the two colony types would be
more influenced by environmental factors (this would
include cell size which is an environmental factor)
rather than being of different mellifera races.

>...I asked if you had any proof of any
>plants that "big" Apis mellifera can't work that
"small" Apis mellifera
>can, can you provide examples...

Rip,
There is evidence in this study that the smaller bees
are able to forage more efficiently than the larger.
And here's some 'specific examples'.

The study states:
"The two colony types did not differ
significantly in population size, brood rearing or
food storage activity, or in any
of the aspects of foraging examined."

Let's get this strait up front,,, Throughout the
study, the groups did not differ in storage and brood
rearing, and they gathered equal amounts of stores.

So,,,,,
Any differences in foraging behavior would certainly
reflect a competitive advantage or disadvantage of one
group, if one were to analyze them.

The study states:
"AHB colonies consistently traveled slightly shorter
distances to food sources throughout the
study (Fig. 5). The daily mean total foraging distance
for the African colonies
(1073 ± 52 m) was about 300 m less than the 1387 ± 260
m estimated for the hybrid
colonies."

If the mean total foraging distance of the AHB was 300
m less than the European group.  This can only
indicate that the small celled AHB were much more
efficient foragers than the large European group and
they did not need to forage further distances. Again,
the study states that they did gather the same amount
of stores, but the European group had to forage
further to achieve this, "this is less efficient!!"

The study states:
"...on average hybrid workers traveled about 600 m
more per round trip of foraging."

With the average bee collecting nectar normally making
7 to 13 trips per day, this would mean EACH large cell
forager, again "EACH LARGE CELL FORAGER" would have to
fly up to 10200 more meters to get the same amount of
nectar!!!!  A large cell foraging force of 5,000 bees
would have to fly 3000000 more meters than the small
AHB to achieve the same amount of nectar and
pollen!!!!

The study states:
"...the hybrid foragers traveled about 600 m more per
round trip, yet both
colony types had similar levels of flight activity and
food storage. If all other aspects
of foraging (i.e., load sizes, flight speed, energetic
costs) were equal between the
two colony types, then hybrid colonies must have
expended more energy to maintain
similar levels of food collection, and thus may have
been slightly less efficient
at foraging."

The above is obvious, the larger European bees were
less efficient, this of course would give the AHB an
evolutionary advantage over the large Europeans.
Those with the evolutionary advantage always dominate
the genetics in a particular area, and the less
efficient genetics fall away!


Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA
Small Cell Beekeeping
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries'
http://www.biologicalbeekeeping.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/



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