> Are we producing too many analogies that influence the way we operate colonies, teach others, talk to the public?

I think this is exactly right and is what I have tried to say in previous posts. People who profess affection for honey bee colonies, seem to lose that affection when comes colonies of ants, termites, and social wasps. The chief difference between honey bees and these others is that latter are considered pests, of course.

relevant text:
Treatment-free beekeepers reason that the only sustainable
solution to the problem of V. destructor will be the
production of mite-resistant bees that can control the mites
on their own, and that the best way to obtain such bees is to
allow weak colonies and their genes to die and be replaced
by only the strongest bees and genes. Though a laudable
goal, some treatment-free beekeepers misunderstand
elements of host-parasite coevolution, mite transmission
biology, and honey bee behavior, and therefore may be
doing more harm than good. ... a beekeeper disinclined
to treat their colony may be best served by euthanizing
the entire colony and their mites to protect neighboring bees.

comment: 
the last part is almost comical. treatment free beekeepers are going to "euthanize" their bees? in what world will this happen?

source:  
The Parasitic Mite Varroa destructor: History, Biology, Monitoring, and Management. David T. Peck. Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. (in:) Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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