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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
John Mitchell <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 11 May 2000 11:49:42 EDT
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In a message dated 5/11/00 9:39:43 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would have agreed with John.  I would
have adamntly insisted that honeybees simply do not dwell underground.  >>

   Are there any references in the beekeeping literature, scientific or
popular, to bees nesting underground? We now have several anecdotes on
bee-l—I suspect if you get together a large enough group of beekeepers every
possible behavior will have been seen at least once—but does this occur with
enough frequency that newspapers should issue public health warnings about
ground-nesting honeybees? If so, then most of the books and articles I've
read (as I recall) that describe colony-nesting behavior have given overly
narrow, inadequate descriptions by failing to mention this.
   Another problem here is that if people get panicky about groundnesting
insects that resemble bees, then populations of other beneficial insects—like
bumblebees—could be knocked off.
   Let's put the question another way: I occassionally take swarm and colony
removal calls. If somebody called me about a colony of groundnesting
honeybees, I would dismiss it out of hand and tell them they've got wasps or
bumblebees. Would you take time to take a call like that (assuming somebody
isn't paying you to take calls like that, whether they're honeybees or not).

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