Busting the myth that honeybees are extinct in the wild

A persistent myth that I’ve heard repeatedly over the years is that honeybees (Apis mellifera) are extinct in the wild and the only ones left are in managed colonies kept by people.

There’s just one problem…this is completely false. Wild honeybee colonies are doing fine and they are in no danger of going extinct.

What is the origin of this myth?

Some of this confusion appears to be due to a lack of understanding of the nuances involved in bee declines, since it…