> Thanks for the reality check, Pete! I've deeply analyzed Dr. Seeley's raw data
Well, for one thing, they compared the genetic makeup of the feral bees to bees in a nearby apiary. They concluded that the swarms did not come from there. Turns out, I know the beekeeper and he routinely requeens his bees with California queens. All this tells you is that the swarms didn't come from his hives *that year.*
A swarm living in a tree for a few years would be expected to have a different genetic makeup than bees in a commercial beekeeping outfit. That doesn't therefore mean they are special in some way. They used to be called mutts. Now they are called survivor bees. By the way, we have feral cats around here. The main difference between them and domestic cats is that they hate people.
PLB
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