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Bees Alive! is migrating - this is the new page... Can wild bees be domesticated? Wild bees are bees free of human meddling (see my discussion of Animal Ethics); they are doing what nature intended - pollinating and procreating. Humans have gotten involved in bee affairs almost exclusively for self-gain - reaping the benefits of the hive. We've constructed special houses for them that are a compromise between what bees like and what is easy (sort of) for humans to access. But even though bees might move into this new home and stay seemingly happy, they are by no means domesticated like a pet cat or dog. Keeping bees requires that we let them loose, and because of this we have little control over where they fly, what they eat and whether they decide to swarm. To turn free and feral bees into truly domesticated bees, you would need to control where they go and provide a food source that is also completely within your control.Undomesticated Bees vs Native Bees Wild or undomesticated bees and native bees are not the same thing. Undomesticated bees are simply those born free or have swarmed and no longer live in an artificial hive. Native bees, on the other hand, are those that occur naturally in a region - they have not been introduced by humans to the environment from another region. Generally, native bees are undomesticated, but not all undomesticated bees are native. Beekeepers have tended to keep bees that are not native to the environment they operate in. Honey bees are generally native to parts of south Asia. They form one or more 'introduced' species everywhere else in the world. Taming Wild Bees There is an increasing trend in attempts to domesticate native species, such as bumble bees and leafcutter bees, for the purposes of crop pollination. As we kill off our honey bee population, humans are turning to the short-term and simpler, but unsatisfactory, solution of 'enslaving' native bees to prevent a widespread food system crisis. Sadly, what is needed is a global boycott of chemical insecticides - by not taking responsibility for the poisoning of the planet, our native bees may face the same fate as our honey bees. Bumble Bees
Until somewhat recently, bumble bees have been undomesticated, native populations. Throughout the world, there are over 250 identified species. Scrambling to find a solution to an increasingly serious pollination problem, humans are eagerly exploring and carrying out bumble bee domestication projects. Research is being done on using alternative pollinators such as bumble bees on crops in areas that have seen major declines in bee populations1,2. Bumbles are good pollinators, but up until recently, they have been choosing both their homes and their food sources. While the idea of (forcibly) enlisting the help of these insects is a creative one, there are major ethical issues involved in placing bees in zones that a) we have poisoned, and b) where numerous honey bees have already met their deaths. Find out more about bumble bees.--- 1 Steven Carruthers. Bumblebees for Pollination of Greenhouse Tomato Crops in Australia. Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses, 88. 2 R. McNeil and W. Pidduck, The Effectiveness of the Western Bumblebee in Pollinating Hass Avocado Trees. Proceedings V World Avocado Congress (Actas V Congreso Mundial del Aguacate) 2003. pp. 253-256. --- Return to Bees Alive! home from Domesticated vs Wild Bees Return to Bees, Wasps & Hornets from Domesticated vs Wild Bees
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They live most frequently in the Northern Hemisphere, with some exceptions in New Zealand and South America. Like the honey bee, bumbles collect pollen and nectar and are important to crop pollination.
Recommended Reads:
Attracting Native Pollinators
Wild Bees, Wasps and Ants and Other Stinging Insects
Swarmed by Bees (Close Encounters of the Wild Kind)
