Room For All Types Of Beekeeper

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I went and bought “Genetic Priorities for Conservation of Native Honey Bees” by Dorian Pritchard, one of the “big voices” in an area of beekeeping that is foreign to me. It seems well produced and has some interesting ideas, but I find the logic a little confused. But maybe it’s just me who’s confused! I wanted to try to understand why emotions run so high when the subject of black bees arises, and why commercial beekeepers and queen breeders are viewed by some as destructive and negative forces. In this article, I shall compare the type of breeding advocated (but not always followed) by Mr Pritchard – natural selection – with modern queen breeding, in which humans engineer certain traits into the bees.

Confused Walrus

However, the confusion I have needs to be explored first. There are two main arguments put forward about Apis mellifera mellifera (Amm), which many consider to be the native bees of Northern Europe. The whole idea of native anything is somewhat flawed, in my view, but that’s another matter. The first argument, and one I subscribe to, is that Amm is a subspecies with a unique history and set of traits, and it should be conserved. It should not be allowed to disappear. That’s the conservation argument, and who could disagree with it? I love black bees, and the other types too; it would be tragic to lose them.

Protected Conservation Areas

Given the importance of conservation, I would support protected areas being set up, backed by legislation, similar to what happened with Colonsay, in Scotland. I don’t believe there are any legally protected Amm sanctuaries in England. The one in Mount Edgecombe in Cornwall does not appear to have legally protected status, but I could be wrong. It’s also tiny. As far as I know, anyone could plonk a load of Buckfast bees down in that area without breaking the law. However, I believe that the beekeepers on that peninsula are of the same mind, and are keen to preserve the “Cornish black bee”. Without designated legally protected areas, at least in much of England, there will always be the typical mongrelisation going on, if that’s a word. Many beekeepers prefer different types of bee, and they have every right to keep them.

Going Back To Our Roots?

The second, and much harder to agree with argument, is that Amm evolved over thousands of years to be the perfect honey bee for our country, so anything that is not Amm must be less good. From this, it is a small step to say that we should really only keep Amm bees, even though, in truth, a 100% “pure” Amm is about a common as hens’ teeth. Bees of different subspecies freely interbreed, and this has led to most bees in England being mongrels. It doesn’t make them bad bees, but they are a mixed bag.

Many believe that we should try to get back to the black bee, by only allowing bees of the native type (no ginger colouration on the bodies of the bees) to propagate. That, of course, is not natural selection. But apparently, that type of human intervention is okay because it is an attempt to get back to what nature created in the past. Jurassic Park anyone? There is a clash between allowing nature to take its course and trying to recreate a land of “native” bees. When nature takes its course, in my area at least, you get mongrels. In Northumberland, the black bees do very well by many accounts, and natural selection seems to prefer them. Which is great. But we don’t all live in Northumberland.

Humans Are Not Unnatural

While I’m on the whole nature vs nurture subject, humans are part of nature too. We have had a profound (generally detrimental) impact on our planet, but we are part of nature. The imports of bees at various times have not all been negative. Mongrel queens head many great colonies. Beekeepers across the country were desperate for imported bees after the Isle of Wight disease because they had some resistance to whatever caused that particular plague.

Anyway, I hope I have established that ensuring the ongoing survival of Amm is a good thing, which I support. I think that Sue Coby has provided a template that could be followed. Her methods incorporate instrumental insemination, to enable selective breeding of certain beekeeper-friendly traits into her closed population of carniolan bees. I don’t have a problem with that, but there is a school of thought that such interference can weaken the bees, whereas allowing nature to take its course leads to ideal diversity and adaptation.

Domestication By Breeding

Let’s look at some outcomes of human meddling with nature to bend it to our will.

Cows

The wild ancestors of our domesticated cows were the aurochs. They roamed across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and were hunted extensively by humans (and plenty of other things, I imagine). In the Near East they were domesticated about 8,000–10,000 years ago, as humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to farmers.

Pigs

A similar situation applied to pigs, who descend from wild boars. They occupied similar land masses and were domesticated at a similar time. At least wild boar still exist, whereas aurochs are gone.

Sheep

It’s the same story again for sheep, who descend from mouflon, which is still found in some parts of the Middle East and Asia.

One thing that stands out about the difference between the wild and domesticated versions of the above livestock is the size of their horns. They are much smaller in most of the domesticated breeds.

Chickens

The original “wild chickens” were the red jungle fowl, a native of Southeast Asia, which still exists today.

The ancestors of these modern animals were gradually domesticated through selective breeding to produce traits beneficial for farming, such as tameness, higher productivity, and adaptability to human-controlled environments.

Beagles

I can’t exclude my favourite breed of dog, can I? Like all dogs, beagles descend from grey wolves, who were domesticated as far back as 20,000 – 40,000 years ago. Early domesticated dogs were selectively bred by humans for specific traits, such as hunting ability, size, and temperament, giving rise to various breeds. The Beagle’s lineage traces back to hunting dogs in Ancient Greece and Rome, where small, scent-oriented hounds were bred to track game. They are cheeky and cute, but also very useful for sniffing out drugs or explosives at airports.

So, selective breeding; it’s what we do. For some reason, some people frown upon selective breeding of honey bees. Unless it’s to try to backtrack to a more pure example of Amm. Weird. What it boils down to is whether the selection is being done by “nature” (the environment) or humans.

Commercial Beekeeping

Modern commercial bee farming is a cornerstone of the global agricultural and ecological framework. At its core, it involves the large-scale management of honey bee colonies for honey production and pollination services. In parallel, the practice of selectively breeding honey bees has become the norm for improving traits such as docility, high honey yield, and disease resistance.

However, an alternative approach exists: allowing natural selection to shape bee populations without direct human-driven breeding. With natural selection, environmental pressures dictate which bees survive and reproduce, potentially leading to more robust, genetically diverse colonies. I think that we will never be able to get away from bees doing what they do, and reproducing by swarming. We will always have natural selection going on, and across most of the UK there is a great intermingling of bee genetics taking place in a very natural way.

Good Things About Bee Farming

Commercial beekeeping is a significant contributor to Europe’s economy. Honey, beeswax, royal jelly, and propolis generate substantial revenue. Beyond these products, managed bees provide crucial pollination services. Crops such as almonds, apples, oilseed rape, mustard, and borage rely on honey bees for optimal pollination, supporting both local food production and export industries. This synergy between pollination and honey production provides livelihoods for beekeepers and growers. One might call it a “win-win”.

Of course, pollination will happen without honey bees. There are lots of pollinators. For the growers, it is very convenient to be able to have large numbers of honey bees visit their crops exactly when needed, and be removed afterwards. Crop yields can be increased by 10%+ using the right number of honey bee colonies per hectare. That’s an increase above what local wild pollinators would achieve.

Some Negatives

Miticides: The Varroa mite stands out as a major threat to honey bee colonies. While miticides have proven effective in controlling these pests, they can cause unintended consequences. Chemical residues can accumulate in wax, creating potential sublethal stress for bees. Over-reliance on synthetic treatments like amitraz can also accelerate mite resistance, necessitating stronger or more frequent chemical interventions. Without rotation of treatments, using organic acids or essential oils, it is likely that the efficacy of amitraz will wane. Going treatment-free is not normally considered viable, as so many colonies would die in the first few years, and bee farmers would lose their livelihoods.

Reduced diversity: Although selective breeding can produce bees well-suited for particular environments or markets, it may inadvertently narrow the genetic pool. A reduced gene pool can make colonies more vulnerable to emerging diseases, environmental changes, or other stressors. The focus on a few commercially favoured strains risks overshadowing the ecological and genetic contributions of local or wild bees, which may harbour valuable traits such as hardiness or unique foraging behaviours. This is why conservation is a good idea. However, the breeders are not idiots, and the degree of diversity across UK honey bees remains high. Although many queens are purchased each year by beekeepers, the majority of colonies are headed by diverse home-made queens.

Competition with wild pollinators: High-density apiaries can create intense competition for floral resources, particularly if placed in sensitive or already resource-limited habitats. Native pollinator species may be overshadowed, potentially leading to shifts in local plant-pollinator relationships. Furthermore, large-scale commercial movement of bee colonies (migratory beekeeping) may spread pathogens to other honey bees or even other species such as bumbles.

Supportive Legislation

Many European countries have recognised the importance of apiculture and have introduced policies to support beekeepers. These might include subsidies for equipment, training programs in disease management, and research funding for selective breeding initiatives. The European Union’s regulatory framework on pesticides, for example, is partly shaped by concerns over pollinator health. Many pollinators have suffered from population decline, but the honey bee isn’t one of them, despite frequent reports to the contrary.

Goals and Methods of Selective Breeding

Selective breeding in apiculture focuses on honing desirable traits. Just like creating the perfect dog – the beagle! Key objectives often include:

• High honey production
• Gentle bees
• Low swarming propensity
• Disease/parasite resistance e.g. hygienic bees, and bees with some degree of varroa resistance (ability to reduce the mite’s rate of reproduction)
  

Breeding programs typically involve controlled mating by isolating queen bees and introducing them to selected drones. In Europe, very sophisticated breeding programmes have been running for many years, often utilising island or peninsula locations in Denmark and Germany for mating. Brother Adam achieved isolated mating at Sherberton on Dartmoor. Artificial insemination is also employed in some research and commercial settings, ensuring that queens receive genetic material from pre-chosen drone lines. It’s precisely what we have done with agricultural livestock and crops, and what many people benefit from in their flower gardens.

Natural Selection

In contrast to human-led breeding programs, natural selection in wild or feral bee populations works by “testing” each colony in its local environmental conditions. The survival and reproduction of colonies depend on their inherent adaptability to threats – disease, climate, predators, and more. Colonies that survive pass on genes that have proven robust under these pressures, gradually enhancing population-level resilience. Over many generations, this process may lead to populations with greater genetic diversity and resilience. However, it also involves more significant short-term risks, as colonies unsuited to local conditions simply perish.

Mike Palmer, who has very long and cold winters in his apiaries in North Eastern USA, believes his winters are great at weeding out weak or unsuitable genetics. Dorian Pritchard believes the same, and advocates no hive insulation so that the bees are forced into a tight cluster with a brood free period. I can see their point, although personally, I insulate the tops of my wooden hives to prevent condensation from forming and dripping onto the cluster. To be honest, winter in my area is quite mild, so it’s not putting much selective pressure on my bees.

Advantages of Natural Selection

Greater genetic diversity: Feral colonies adapt to local conditions in a myriad of ways, often leading to a broad genetic base. However, in the case of varroa mites, allowing most colonies to die by not treating them will mean a genetic bottleneck, as only maybe 5% survive. In hundreds of years that may not matter, but in the short term it’s devastating.

Resilience and disease resistance: Without chemical or human intervention, only colonies with strong natural defences survive, helping to propagate those resilient traits.

Ecological balance: Natural selection-driven bees may be better attuned to local flowering cycles, potentially enhancing pollination efficiency in native ecosystems.

Downsides To Natural Selection

Reduced honey yields: Bees that prioritise survival traits may not always be top honey producers. They may, in fact, be highly prone to regular swarming, and small colonies, meaning small amounts of excess honey for the beekeeper.

Unpredictable temperament: Bees selected by nature rather than by breeders for docility can be more defensive. Black bee evangelists claim that defensive behaviour comes by crossing with evil foreign bees. I am pretty sure that bees left to their devices become more defensive than bees specifically bred for docility.

Short-Term Colony Losses: Widespread mortality may occur initially, especially when new pathogens or pests strike because no chemical interventions are employed to cushion the blow. The species (or subspecies) may survive, but there will be peaks and troughs in populations as challenges strike. Boom and bust is not uncommon in the natural world.

Conclusion

Modern commercial bee farming offers tangible economic and agricultural benefits. By harnessing selective breeding, beekeepers produce colonies that are high-yielding, docile, with low losses, meeting the demands of a growing agricultural sector while ensuring a steady supply of hive products. There are a lot of humans to feed, and food producers need all the help they can get. This approach can also reduce genetic diversity and exacerbate dependencies on chemical interventions. It’s about striking the right balance.

Allowing natural selection to guide bee populations may foster robust, genetically diverse colonies that are inherently better adapted to local environmental conditions. While this strategy can sacrifice short-term productivity and predictability, it offers potential long-term gains in resilience and ecological harmony. But will it satisfy the humans that want plentiful and varied foods at low prices?

A balanced perspective seems to be that selective breeding and natural selection need not be mutually exclusive. Many apiculture experts advocate “soft” breeding approaches, where bees are selectively bred but with room for local adaptation and minimal chemical inputs.

I think there is room in the UK for all types of bees and beekeepers. Given the degree of genetic mixing that has already taken place, the only hope for the conservation of pure examples of the various subspecies is through the creation of protected areas, where other bees are excluded. Creation of such places would be a positive thing, whereas infighting between beekeepers is negative and futile.