Читать книгу Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner - Группа авторов - Страница 23

To understand the survival of honey bee colonies living in the wild, we must look not only at their genetic makeup but also at their lifestyle. How do the ways in which wild colonies live combine with their genes to limit mite reproductive success and the virulence of mite‐vectored pathogens? We know that modern beekeeping practices create living conditions for managed colonies that are far more stressful than the living conditions of colonies living in the wild (see Table 1.1). For example, we know that the artificial crowding of colonies in an apiary, the provision of large hives which foster Varroa reproduction, and the suppression of swarming behavior – are all apicultural manipulations that make large honey harvests possible for the beekeeper but are harmful to colony health (Seeley and Smith 2015; Loftus et al. 2016). Another important, but little understood, stressor experienced by managed colonies is the greater thermoregulation stresses experienced by colonies living in a standard hive compared to in a bee tree (Mitchell 2016). Our modern beekeeping practices – launched in 1852 with the invention of the movable frame hive, by Lorenzo L. Langstroth – have created new challenges for honey bee colonies, which are adapted for living without human management (interference). For the remainder of this chapter, we will explore the lifestyle features that help wild colonies of honey bees thrive despite their pests, parasites, and pathogens. We will also draw lessons that beekeepers and bee doctors can employ to help promote the health of the managed colonies living in apiaries.