
HONEY BEE'S ARE FOREST DWELLERS
Honey bees are millions of years old, our hunter gatherer ancestors did not keep bees, they hunted bees for their honey in tree cavities and rock faces high up in nature. Bee hunting began to be superseded by beekeeping some 10,000 years ago, when people started farming and domesticating plants and animals.
Tom Seeley’s research in his book, Following the Wild Bees, shows the difference between bees as nature intended (unmanaged colonies) to commercial beekeeping (managed hives):
UNMANAGED COLONIES
Colonies genetically adapted to location
Colonies live widely spaced in landscape
Colonies occupy small cavities (40 litres)
Nest walls have a propolis coating
Nest cavity walls are thick
Nest entrance is high and small
Nest site relocations are rare
Colonies are rarely disturbed
Colonies deal with familiar diseases
Colonies have diverse pollen sources
Colonies have natural diets
Colonies are not exposed to novel toxins
Colonies are not treated for disease
Pollen not trapped, honey not taken
Bees choose larvae for queen rearing
Beeswax not removed
Drones compete fiercely for mating
MANAGED COLONIES
Colonies not genetically adapted to location
Colonies live crowded in apiaries
Colonies occupy large hives (85 litres)
Hive walls have no propolis coating
Hive walls are thin
Nest entrance is low and large
Nest site relocations can be frequent
Colonies are frequently disturbed
Colonies deal with novel diseases
Colonies have homogeneous pollen sources
Colonies sometimes have artificial diets
Colonies exposed to insecticides
Colonies treated for disease
Pollen sometimes trapped, honey often taken
Beekeepers choose larvae for queen rearing
Beeswax removed during honey harvest
Queen breeder may select drones for mating
So, the domestication of the bees, taken them from their natural environment to man made homes, combined with the rise of industrial farming practices, use of chemicals and the removal of their natural habitat (the trees), has led to the bees health being in a critical condition.
In response to this situation, a global movement has risen to support Free Living Bees and the production of hives that support natural behaviour.