Killer Bees in the United States

Killer bees in the United States are Africanized honeybees. The relocation of Africanized honeybees to South America from Africa for commercial reasons has created a crisis in the southern part of the United States. Africanized honeybees were imported to Brazil to help beekeepers increase honey production. The Africanized honeybees escaped and have traveled north to Argentina, other South American countries and into the United States. The first Africanized honeybees sighting was documented in 1990. The Africanized honeybees is a threat to the honey industry in America because of crossbreeding and the aggressive nature of the killer bee. The aggressive nature makes the Africanized honeybees difficult to handle.

Appearance

• Killer bees are smaller than other honeybees.

  The Africanized honeybee is smaller than the European honeybee. The length of the Africanized honeybees is three-fourths of an inch. The outside of the Africanized honeybee is fuzzy. The color of the fuzz is brown with black stripes. The AHB is similar in looks to the wasp or hornet. The Africanized honeybee has four wings attached to its middle section. It has six legs attached to the underside of the mid-body area. The Africanized honeybee has two eyes that look like bulbs. The eyes of the killer bee can see ultraviolet rays, which allow them to fly at night while other bees are resting. Like other bees, the queen is at the top of the social structure followed by drones and the worker bees.

Inbreeding

• Bee handling requires patience and protective clothing.

  Inbreeding between Africanized honeybee and the European bee is a danger to American beekeeping tradition and the honey manufacturing industry. When mating occurs between the Africanized honeybee and the European bee, a hybrid bee is produced. The hybrid bee is more aggressive than the European bee, which means a whole colony of European bees that were docile now become aggressive. When bees are more aggressive it takes less to encourage them to attack. Vibrations from farming equipment and herding of livestock can cause a swarm of Africanized honeybees and the new hybrid bee to attack people and animals in swarms. European bees rarely swarm. Swarming of honeybees is new to American beekeeping since the intrusion of the Africanized honeybee and the inbreeding with European bees.

Fatality

• A person with an allergy to bee stings requires only one sting to cause death. Without an allergy, fatality occurs only when killer bees swarm and sting a person hundreds of times. The killer bee as an imminent danger to the American population is mythical. A person is more likely to get struck by lightning than be stung to death by killer bees. The bad reputation of the Africanized honeybees actually came from Hollywood, which sensationalized the aggressive behavior of the bees.

Cost

• The cost increase for beekeepers as it relates to the Africanized honeybee is centered in controlling inbreeding between theAfricanized honeybee and the European bee. Beekeepers are purchasing more protective equipment because of the increase in bee stings. Other costs included moving livestock to protect them from Africanized honeybee attacks. Honey production in the United States has also decreased because the Africanized honeybee takes honey with it when it leaves an area in migration. The hybrid Africanized honeybee in captivity is rented out to farmers to help pollinate fruit orchards and produce fields. By renting out hybrid bees, beekeepers make up the money lost on equipment and decreased honey production.