Barry Sergeant said:

> The general reputation of the AHB in the West is that it is a killer bee.
> Period. ...  Even well-meaning information published on the AHB,
> compiled by intelligent people, allows no leeway for this bee.

Excuse the mass hysteria, but bees simply did not kill people or
animals in the western hemisphere before the spread of AHB.

Of course the news reports are sensational - they are also
sensational when a meteor hits someone's house, or a
tornado wipes out a town.  People dying in sudden and
unusual ways will always be "exciting news copy".

While this may seem silly to someone in Africa, where bees
are only one small two-paragraph entry in the massive 37 volume
encylopedia "Things That Can Kill You Very Dead in Africa", the
US has very few "killer" animals of any sort, and fewer still that
are near populated areas.  If it makes you feel any better, shark
attacks at beaches in the US this summer were given all the
sensational attention.

> ... the seeming determination of Americans to sweep AHBs
> under the carpet.

> In the US, there appears to be a blind attitude that if you ignore
> the AHB, it will go away. It will not

> In practice, the attitude in the US towards the AHB is that the only
> good AHB is a dead one. Each year, millions of dollars are spent
> on locating and destroying AHBs in the US; probably more money
> than is spent on US bee research.

One must recall that there are many different groups with often
conflicting agendas - the "public health officials" certainly want
to works towards elimination of AHB near population centers.
And yes, "public health" likely does get more money than
"bee research".  People first, bugs second, or third.  Seems fair.

Those further north may certainly "ignore" the bee, simply because
the consensus is that they will not spread much further.

But funding has not been simply limited to "search and destroy".

> this bee... is now firmly in occupation of significant parts of the US.

AHB do not appear to be spreading much beyond the southernmost line
of border states with Mexico.  Occasional stow-away swarms have made
it well beyond their current range, including one that is presumed to have
ridden a boxcar from Texas to Virginia, and another that recently made
the error of nesting in the wing of a private airplane, resulting in a
mostly-dead colony upon landing.

> The only significant limiting factor in the AHB's spread, as in Africa,
> would appear to be cold temperatures.

While there may be some traits of AHB that would prove useful to
a bee breeder, ability to overwinter would be a very basic need for
any bee to be bred for US and Canadian use.

> It appears bizarre that... the US... with such a freedom-drenched
> constitution, cannot see the merits of working WITH the AHB,
> rather than against it.

I am certain that I have many misconceptions about AHB, so
perhaps you can comment on some of the points made about
AHBs by respected bee researchers.  From what I have read,
AHB seems to have a number of negative traits:

a)  The reports that AHBs abscond at the drop of a hat.

b)  The reports that AHBs are, by definition, smaller colonies,
     and are not interested in building up large stores, due to their
     more tropical origins, where large stores are simply
     something that needs to be defended.

c)  The reports that AHBs are certainly good foragers, but
     they will consume food as fast as it is collected, and
     are oriented towards producing swarms rather than
     crops of honey as a "survival tactic".

d)  The reports that the AHB response to repeated
     "disturbance" of the hive is to abscond.  While this
     is an effective reaction to repeated forays by a
     predator, one wonders how they might react to
     regular monthly hive inspections.

Also, a number of people gave talks and showed slides this fall
about their summer visits to South African apiaries in conjunction
with recent meetings in South Africa.  One thing I noticed was that
ALL beekeepers in all photos were equipped with bee-suits,
many home-made.

Elaborate hive-inspection approaches were also described,
where multiple "teams" would simultaneously open and work
multiple hives quickly in a small apiary so as to flee before the
hives got too "nasty".  (Clearly, these were not your bees...)

So, while your crossbreeds may be docile, the general case
in South Africa appears to be that the bees are highly
defensive, to the point of forcing 100% bee-suit use.

If that is how one must work AHBs, I cannot see these as
"desirable bee traits" at all.  I often shake or scoop a small
number of bees into my hand, just to show visitors that my
bees, if unprovoked, are more like tiny Saint Benards than
rabid Rottweilers.  This little trick is key to the calm attitude
of the residents of neighboring farms about my bees, and
bees in general.  (No I don't do "bee-beards", as I am not
employed by a carnival sideshow...)

While I like gentle bees for ease of working, the trait of "gentle"
is a critical one for the urban and suburban hobby beekeepers,
since they can only keep bees if their neighbors will be tolerant.
While the US constitution may well appear to be "freedom soaked",
most authorities will certainly rule that too many bee-sting incidents
means "public nuisance - move the bees", as the rights of "the many"
outweigh the rights of "the few" in such cases.  For the typical hobby
beekeeper, "gentle" must be the primary concern, even if  the "gentle"
bees are less productive.

So, if we were to crossbreed AHB into existing stocks, what would
we get?  What would we WANT from AHB stock?  We have lots
docile breeds to pick from now, and they all overwinter fine.

        jim

        farmageddon