[Pollinator] for discussion: should honeybees be allowed into conservation/protected areas?

[Lynn Dicks]

Dear Victoria

This is an issue I considered when compiling a synopsis of evidence on 
bee conservation in 2010, which is published online. 
http://www.conservationevidence.com/collected-evidence.php?id=39

The intervention 'Control deployment of hives/nests' basically means not 
allowing managed bee hives in or near conservation areas. As you can see 
from the link, I found no evidence on the effects of exerting this 
control, but there is evidence in the background to this section (if you 
download the pdf via the link on the right) relating to the impact of 
nearby honey bees on bumblebee colonies. Here's the text:

Being near honey bee Apis mellifera hives has been shown to reduce 
worker size (Goulson & Sparrow 2009), forager return rates, the 
proportion of foragers collecting pollen and the number of reproductives 
produced (Thomson 2004), for bumblebee species in the UK and the USA. 
However, we know of no direct evidence of a positive effect of excluding 
A. mellifera hives on populations of bumblebees.

Goulson D. & Sparrow K.R. (2009) Evidence for competition between honey 
bees and bumblebees; effects on bumblebee worker size. Journal of Insect 
Conservation, 13, 151-163.

Thomson D. (2004) Competitive interactions between the invasive European 
honey bee and native bumble bees. Ecology, 85, 458-470.

Hope this is helpful. I'd love to see a controlled trial examining the 
responses of wild bee populations over several years to exclusion of 
honey bee hives.

All the best

Lynn Dicks

On 16/03/2012 17:20, Victoria MacPhail wrote:
> I am interested in the members of this list's responses to the 
> question, "should honeybee colonies be allowed in 
> conservation/protected areas"?  I.e. While honeybees can certainly fly 
> from their colonies on private land into a conservation area, should 
> beekeepers be allowed to place their colonies directly into the 
> conservation area?
>
> A few of my initial thoughts:
> against
> - honeybees are non-native; generally we try to avoid introducing 
> non-native species into conservation areas
> - honeybees may out-compete native bees/pollinators, thus they may 
> negatively affecting the native/local pollinators and the native/local 
> plants seed-set
> - introduced species (incl. honeybees) may potentially spread diseases
>
> for
> - honeybees may already be present in the conservation area if there 
> are beekeepers with hives nearby
> - beekeepers would be able to have a pesticide-free and undisturbed 
> location for their bees
> - if near a public trail/info centre, could use them as an opportunity 
> for educating the public about all pollinators
>
>
> Any other thoughts/discussion?
>
> Victoria MacPhail
> Guelph, Ontario
> vmacphail at gmail.com <mailto:vmacphail at gmail.com>
>
>
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> Pollinator at lists.sonic.net
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-- 
Dr Lynn Dicks
Conservation Science Group
Department of Zoology
University of Cambridge
Downing Street
Cambridge CB2 3EJ

Tel:    +44 (0)1223 761362
Fax:   +44(0)1223 336676
Web: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/zoostaff/dicks.html

Search for scientific evidence on conservation practice at http://www.conservationevidence.com

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