Grace McCormack What we can learn from wild honey bees

A lecture given by Grace McCormack at the 2022 National Honey Show entitled "What we can learn from wild honey bees". The National Honey Show gratefully acknowledge the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers for their support.
Considered to be extinct due to habitat loss, parasites and disease, anecdotal evidence from beekeepers and genetic data first indicated the likely survival of honey bees in the wild. Dismissed initially as only being ‘feral’ (i.e. escapes from local apiaries) with poor survival we now know that honey bees continue to survive and thrive without beekeeper assistance. Not only that, but the threatened subspecies native to Ireland and the UK, continues to do well in Ireland despite the continued threats from imports. Evidence suggests that Apis mellifera mellifera also contributes significantly to the gene pool in the UK in many places. Understanding how wild honey bees have adapted to current threats facing honey bees will be of use to beekeepers in many ways. Also, the genetic characteristics of those bees that can survive multiple years in the wild will give additional insights around the bees that are best fitted to local environments. Here I will discuss results from our project investigating diversity of wild honey bees in Ireland, how we are using genomic data to better understand the impact of hybridisation on native bees and how wild bees compare to managed bees across a range of features. Preliminary data confirms the existence of local breeding pools. Given the tight association between bees and their environment this data suggests that it is better to use local bees where possible, and hints at the possible negative impact of importing bees into an area.
Grace McCormack is a Professor in Zoology at NUI Galway. Her interests lie in evolutionary biology and particularly in using molecular data to understand how organisms are related to each other and the impacts this may have on conservation and on the evolution of organismal traits. The interaction between animals and their parasites/pathogens over evolutionary time is also of interest as is the use of this information in applied science such as biodiscovery (marine sponges) and apiculture (bees). Grace started beekeeping to better understand the species she is now studying, and the University apiary managed by her has 12-15 colonies.

[@carlsledge3868]

@Grace McCormack: I commend you for saying "Bees have learned to live with humans", I live in Georgia USA and I find wild swarms to be more hardier, harder working and just generally tougher than domesticated commercial bees. Thank you very very much for your efforts and work.

[@18Bees]

Even bees in hollowed out logs if left alone, unmanaged, untreated and not fed artificially produce strong nests. You’ll see them moving around at entrance in much lower temperatures.

[@thebeegenes5689]

Thanks for your lovely comments.Great to see the treatment free and more hands off beekeeping community developing. Hopefully it will lead to stronger more resilient bees in the population and better beekeeping. Grace

[@deborahader6956]

A great talk! I have been keeping bees, chemically free, for 15 years and just now seeing more of an acceptance of not treating. Love hearing your findings. Thank you.

[@18Bees]

I film and monitor many wild A.M. colonies in Oregon and Washington. Popular cavities in Western Red Cedars, Maples and Oaks.

[@summitapiary7867]

Excellent talk. Thank you!

[@abalone76]

Great talk, Very Inspiring! Thank you Grace!!!

[@somethingAPIS]

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. I am in the states and manage many feral colonies I've captured. You have inspired me to log my efforts and use the documented results to learn even more.

[@davecavana1031]

Wow just wow this talk gives me such hope. I'm delighted.

[@agusmuhardiman]

I'm from Indonesia , nice videos 🙋

[@LisaFarrugia]

Whats the effect on hive honey yields of no treatment? This not an issue for you it seems? It is for us!!!!

[@davecavana1031]

That's what she's saying most beekeepers are back yard keepers so don't need high yields allowing bees to swarm and allowing brood breaks that's how you manage varroa by getting out of the way and allowing the bees to use evolution to sort it.

[@PaulyPaulPaul]

The speaker worried me when she used terms like "main stream science", "nasty chemicals"and "just use common sense". I'd like to have details of what the favorable traits of ferral bees are, versus hybrids. I have some dark ferral colonies and some buckfast. Both are treated with oxalic acid. Does not treating mean the surviving colonies constantly carry a heavy disease load, and that's why honey yields are lower? If so, is that something we want?