>Unnatural?  Tell that to Apis dorsata.  Or to Apis mellifera scutellata,
both of which naturally migrate.

Yes, and wildebeest migrate too - but we were not discussing them either!

>Or perhaps because beekeepers, similar to sheepherders, found that by
driving their flocks to better pasture helped them to grow.

Doesn't make it any more natural - just something that humans have imposed on the animals that they 'own'.

>The other reason for migratory beekeeping, is that with the advent of
widespread monocultures, there was not enough forage left to sustain local
populations of pollinators to service those monocultures.

So keeping bees naturally, in one place, is unsustainable because of monocultures (like almonds?) and we have to, as you put it, drive them to better pastures?  Q.E.D. I think. 

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html