Leslie Bailey and B. V. Ball, in their book Honey Bee Pathology, call honey bees "feral insects", in contrast to the silkworm (Bombyx mori) which they call "the only insect that has been domesticated", and refer to the "popular belief among many biologists as well as beekeepers that bees are domesticated".
Leslie Bailey e B. V. Ball, no seu libro Honey Bee Pathology, chama ás abellas do mel "insectos semisalvaxes", a diferenza do verme da seda (Bombyx mori) que consideran "o único insecto que foi domesticado", e refírense á "crenza popular entre moitos biólogos e tamén apicultores de que as abellas están domesticadas".