Author Topic: researchers make friends with africanized bees  (Read 9641 times)

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Offline apisbees

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researchers make friends with africanized bees
« on: December 13, 2013, 08:32:47 am »
I don't agree with all the statements and claims but can understand that they are trying to put a positive spin on a bad situation.
http://http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bee-researchers-make-friends-africanized-killer&goback=.gde_3905308_member_5816548409040977924#!
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: researchers make friends with africanized bees
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2013, 09:22:38 am »
Doesnt sound like he is "Completely" knowledgeable about what he is writing...  But I have long wondered why they (we) arent working hard to reduce the aggressiveness of those bees..  Flooding the areas they call home with the drones of our choosing.. so in 100 years or so, the impact may be enough to reduce the danger they represent..    Not a geneticist so cant say exactly how hard that would be...       I also worry that in doing so, it will make these bees more adaptable to northern climates...       In keeping domesticated bees among them, wont this eventually happen anyhow?   Just thinking outloud.....
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Offline Perry

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Re: researchers make friends with africanized bees
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2013, 09:25:14 am »
Quote from: "LazyBkpr"
Doesnt sound like he is "Completely" knowledgeable about what he is writing...  But I have long wondered why they (we) arent working hard to reduce the aggressiveness of those bees..  Flooding the areas they call home with the drones of our choosing.. so in 100 years or so, the impact may be enough to reduce the danger they represent..    Not a geneticist so cant say exactly how hard that would be...       I also worry that in doing so, it will make these bees more adaptable to northern climates...       In keeping domesticated bees among them, wont this eventually happen anyhow?   Just thinking outloud.....

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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: researchers make friends with africanized bees
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2013, 04:44:37 pm »
When life hands you lemons...

Offline tecumseh

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Re: researchers make friends with africanized bees
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2013, 07:03:17 am »
well it is a bit more difficult to make lemon aid from cum quats! <sometimes when you let the genie out of the bottle to get it back in is somewhat to nearly impossible.

the full story of the introduction of africanized genetics into south and north American is not only a comedy/tragedy of errors but quite typically at least half the full story is overlooked.  to cut to the chase here somewhat the africanized bees first introduced here were not the one originally selected for the choice <this choice by a very well respected beekeeper in South Africa likely took a great deal of time to purposefully select the best of the best.  a clerk's error at the embassy then lead to all the original stock dying which then encouraged the Brazilian scientist to do the knee jerk think and then 'select' whatever stock he could get his hands on.  another often overlook portion of this story was at about the same time the bee lab at Baton Rouge was distributing africanized bee semen to folks all over north America.