It stuck me, in this discussion, that I am not as informed as I should
be in regard to AHB.
The first problem I found is the use of AHB. There are many AHB races.
We are really only talking about Apis mellifera scutellata. The race has
certain characteristics, as do all races of bees, but they follow a
typical bell curve, with some characteristics being predominate, but not
universal. So just as we can breed a better Italian, you can breed a
better Apis mellifera scutellata. That appears to be happening in South
America, and my guess, Arizona.
What we have with Apis mellifera scutellata is that their aggressive
nature peaks a bit on the early side compared to other races of bees.
But there is nothing to stop breeding a gentler bee. All we are doing is
moving toward the lower slope of the behavior bell curve and attempting
to reduce aggressiveness.
All the talk about excluding "AHB" will fail since the only way to
identify AHB is genetic, since you can also have EHB with AHB markers.
Plus, you can have "gentle" Apis mellifera scutellata which are on the
lower slope of the bell curve. However, they may move, over time, back
to the top of the curve. Aggressiveness will not identify AHB since EHB
are aggressive at times. Gentleness will not identify AHB, since they
can be gentle.
I know of no queen breeders who submit their stock to DNA tests to
ensure their purity. We do know that Apis mellifera scutellata is now
from California to Georgia to stay and has been found in NY and Maine
(documented) and, without question, in many other states. So Apis
mellifera scutellata will eventually be in whole or in part in all the US.
So what do we do? If we close State borders, we move the problem from a
public acceptance that "there is not much we can do about it", to "our
borders will protect us". In the former, the beekeeper is the first line
of defense. With the latter, any bee is suspect and the beekeeper has
only made matters worse by having all those troublesome bees in the
State. You are, after all, prohibiting bees from moving into the State,
so why not just remove all bees and problem solved. Any stinging
incident, from EHB or AHB will engender the same result, prohibition of
bees. Plus, we cannot control the borders. Canada has been mentioned and
its closing of the borders to control Varroa. Enough said. For those who
have been around long enough, the same was tried with Tracheal, but in
the US. That did not work either.
Instead, a fairly simple approach, which mirrors what has been happening
with bees and beekeepers since the dawn of time, should be practiced.
Re-queen an aggressive colony. There is no certainty that you are
removing a colony with AHB or EHB genes, but we have never worried about
that before. We were only worried about the trait that we wanted to
remove from the colony. Plus, you can send the bees in for a DNA check
to see if they are AHB. As time goes on, that step will probably
disappear, just as most do not send bees in for other problems.
Back to my original comment, that I am not as informed as I should be on
Apis mellifera scutellata. I think we are still in the discovery phase
of the bee, especially how it behaves in colder climates and why.
Personally, I believe what was forecast: that they will move no further
than coastal regions of Virginia, and then only with a warm winter.
Otherwise, they will stay south. It may be that the North will be the
repository of EHB genes which can be provided to the South for queen
breeding.
But as long as a place like Maine needs 60,000 colonies of bees to
pollinate blueberries and California a million for Almonds, the bees
will come from the Southern US and move into other States. Maine is not
their only destination, but the pollinators go to NY, PA, NJ, MA, IN,
and across the Northern US. Some will have AHB genes and will be managed
by beekeepers. They will also have Tracheal, AFB, EFB, Small Hive
Beetles, and Varroa, so what's new?
Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine
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