Well, Bjorn, please elaborate on why you agree. No right or wrong just what do you see in your area that leads you to believe that the bees found outside of manged apiaries in your area are no different than the manged bees.
First, please do not box in any responses by making demands of the type of replies or answers you desire. That is not way to get other people's opinion and information. And it usually is a telltale sign of a person who has already made up their mind, and is ready on the defence to debate from one side, and not really listen to others.
With that said, you should also know that in such discussions, there are no black and white answers. Your asking if ALL ferals are the same as managed bees. That is not true. But for the basis of the discussion at hand, I side with finski and the overall message he is stating, as compared to the 20 years of folks who claim special status for what seems as every feral colony they collect.
Now....where to start.
I guess we should set some guidelines as to what we are to discuss.
Your comparing managed bees, to feral bees. Right?
But what managed bees? Are you comparing the typical bee in most beekeepers hives, with bees from packages based on mass produced bees, with little emphasis on selection, survivor traits, and breeding from the best?
You see, if you are comparing such a scenario, then what you are doing, is questionable.
Now if you select, breed your own, cull the weak, and have a better line then what most find in packages, (and you should) then perhaps your attitude would change once you figure out that what you could and should be doing is not much different than what mother nature does.
If your treating your bees, buying packages or mass produced queens, and have done little else other than buy crappy bees, and then compare that to some feral bees to which mother nature is doing something different than what you are doing, of course you will see a difference. Mother nature does what most beekeepers are not willing to do.
So which way you want to go? Shall we discuss the idea of long lost feral genetics? That is always an interesting area. This could go in so many different directions. At this point, I'll wait to see what intelligent questions you may have. While my answers are probably not soft to many ears, especially those marketing "feral" stock, I have been involved in feral colony studies for a number of years now. I have one listed on this page.
http://www.bjornapiaries.com/researchatbjorns.htmlI will assume your interested in more than just a "poll" question of whether one thinks feral bees are the same as the bees kept in your hives. That depends on whether your doing your job or not. If you have crap in your hives, then I will acknowledge now that ferals are probably better. I do not. So this feral hype is far less than what others think themselves.