I think Marina Meixner is trying to show that the mission of honey bee preservation and the goal of commercial beekeeping have been so long at odds, that we have lost sight of the possibility that they can merge. Both have in mind a bee that can survive long term with minimal human intervention. Whether this is feasible, I don't know. Certainly many species that have come under our care no longer exist in the wild form, and the domesticated types can no longer go wild. 

It is entirely possible that beekeepers will have to opt for a hybridized bee in order to stay in business. And entirely possible that wild honey bees will exist only in nature preserves, perhaps only in the tropics. I make no prognostications, but I think that working toward honey bees that serve both camps is a worthwhile venture. I would expect it to be very expensive, and I don't know who'll pay for it. 

I wonder how much on earth is still preservable, or whether the whole planet has already been irrevocably transformed.

plb

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