Comments on: Are Honey Bees Domesticated Livestock?

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:14:33 +0000

I think bees qualify as livestock, but are not domesticated or tame in those definitions given.

While I can manipulate my bees, and try to select for gentle behavior, (note I said “try”), we have had colonies simply abscond. You go to the beeyard one day and they seem fine, and then you go out the next day, and one set of boxes is empty. Gone. Left. That doesn’t happen with other livestock!

And swarms show up in our swarm boxes on a regular basis. They check out what we are offering and decide they like it, and move in. How may other types of livestock make the decision to come live at your house? None that I know about.

So in those respects, while we manage bees to a certain extent, and we use them as livestock, they remain wild and able to come or go as they please. Anyone who overlooks this is not understanding the nature of honeybees.

However, in the interests of large commercial beekeepers – when a portion of their colonies either die off, abscond, or are otherwise lost – they may require a reimbursement or subsidy from the government just as any other “farmer” would get. So for that reason, I think we should continue to use the term “livestock” in connection with bee colonies. We don’t have any other term that accurately applies, and at least in a legal sense, this one mostly does.

By: Gail Dantzker

Gail Dantzker — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 19:23:05 +0000

Because the common, honey-producing bees we commonly call “honeybees” are not native to North America — they were introduced by human agency — suggests they are properly “livestock”, it seems to me. “Gentleness” or “domestication” do not seem to be useful determinants, as many of the feral, native bees are as or more gentle than honeybees and appear fully comfortable working with and around people. Yet, they clearly are neither domesticated nor livestock.

By: Ottavio Forte

Ottavio Forte — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 20:08:51 +0000

I would try to refine the function of a live stock animal, domesticated or not. The function of a live stock animal is to provide some benefit to humans, through its outputs. The outputs may be work, products like eggs, milk, manure, and meat. To such end humans invest, protect, manage the animals to be as useful as possible. Also humans manage their reproductive traits to increase their number or protect from extinction.
If we define livestock as such honeybees and other insects used for similar purposes will be included.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 11:44:59 +0000

You did a great job exploring an interesting question. I like how you differentiate between domesticated and tame. They most certainly are NOT tame. However, according to the Wikipedia definition of “domesticated” that you presented, that may be possible — especially in cases where people are using AI queens or controlling breeding in some other way.

However, since my queens are open-mated and I exert very little control over what they do, I’ll say my bees are neither domesticated nor tame. On the other hand, MW defines “livestock” as “animals kept or raised for use or pleasure; especially : farm animals kept for use and profit,” so yes, I would classify them as livestock. Wild, willful, disobedient livestock.