Well, it’s interesting that we do the same work and are in neighboring cities yet have different experiences or have the same experiences and interpret them differently. Such is beekeeping.

HI thanks for writing back! My concern with the wording is this “…you could be in an Africanized zone and many of the wild swarm in these areas will develop hyper defensive traits as they get established. ”
“..many WILL” is not my experience with the bees I help my students obtain or the bees I keep for clients or the bees in my apiaries. You’re quite right that folks without training or mentoring can get “in over their head” That’s the hard lesson I learned with giving away colonies and swarms and never do it now. Students have to pay and sign a contract listing our respective responsibilities and expectations, and I require reading and on site work in my apiaries to demonstrate confidence. I strongly emphasize the diligence to training since most neighbors are NOT beeks and the reputation of all beeks is damaged with nuisance moves. I don’t teach as many students as you mention. I want a stronger connection and find about 8-10 is what I can carry reliably and keep on top of the other work.

Hi Susan, I am in San Diego with 80 feral colonies and I teach hundreds of new beekeepers each year in my area. I 100% agree with you about the value of feral bees, but it is careless not to warn about their potential defensiveness. I said MANY will. Not all. What I often see is a new and clueless beekeeper get in over their head with a colony that you or I might handle just fine. This article is geared towards new beekeepers and it has been my experience that most new beekeepers do not yet have the skill to keep AHB calm during inspections. They get their bees worked up and then the neighbors get stung and that is how urban beekeepers lose their hard fought bee-friendly ordinances. The powers that be in my town are constantly threatening us with this possibility.