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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Bill Truesdell <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 2 Aug 2001 09:36:20 -0400
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Peter Dillon wrote:

> what I am trying to stress is where does this come from!
> There is most probably no direct answer to this question, but it allows
> for speculation due to its existence that it came from an earlier bee
> type which has conferred other genetic traits on to its offspring that
> may give us an insight into other latent traits that might not be
> apparent but useful.
> Hence the strong argument for in depth study of other bee types and
> their protection. Also, it lends itself to the idea that there is a base
> to the idea of G.M.

We had a long discussion some time back on the BeeL about bees mutating
and developing Varroa resistance. I recall an excellent post, which I
cannot find, by someone well versed in biology who said we should not be
talking about mutation when we were really looking at selection. The
genes were already there (as Peter noted) and we should encourage that
trait in our bees.

When we bring in GM, then we are looking at "mutation", since we are
changing the genetic makeup of the bee.

One of the interesting findings of the human gnome project is the huge
number of "useless genes" they found, which seem to have no apparent
function but were inserted sometime for some reason. I am sure the same
proportional number of "useless" genes exist in the honeybee. They may
have nothing to do with selection today, but they did do something way
back when. And I am sure, in the millions of years the bee has been
around, there were other parasites like varroa that have come and gone.
And might even still be here, but are now accommodated or have changed
to be able to live with the bee.

I am not a biologist, but logic points to SMR already being a bee trait
which can be selected for, since that is what has happened. Especially
since it seems to have appeared in many places with untreated bees.

Who knows what other traits we may need to select for in the future? My
bet is that our bees have encountered them or something similar before.
And here, I respectfully disagree with Peter. There is no need for GM.
That is too laden with danger compared to working with something the
bees probable already possess.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME

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