The Africanized Honeybee
 Custom Search Africanized honeybee (just the name) is known to strike fear into the hearts of many. While a lot of very useful information exists about the nature of Africanized honeybees, a lot of misinformation exists, as well. Africanized Honey Bees? It is the latter that breeds fear in people, but learning the truth about this particular honeybee species can prove both enlightening and beneficial. It may surprise some to learn that honeybees are not actually native to the Americas. In the 1600s, European settlers imported honeybees from their homeland, which is why they are often referred to as European honeybees. Normally, they are not aggressive unless, of course, paths to their food sources are crossed; or they are forced to defend their hives from intruders mainly the African Honey Badger, wanting to extract their honey and beeswax. However, another breed arrived in the United States during the mid-1950s. About the Africanized Honey Bee? Researchers in Brazil imported African honeybee queens, believing that their offspring were a better fit for the tropical Brazilian climate. A few of these imported queens were also given to local beekeepers to introduce to their colonies. What these researchers didn't prepare for, however, was the escape of a few of these honey bee swarms, which migrated to the Brazilian countryside where queens continued to mate with the already-present European honeybees. Eventually, offspring from these swarms made their way out of Brazil and began to emerge in countries that were ill prepared for their arrival. Although the term Africanized honeybee is applied to this particular breed, the truth is that current generations are actually a hybrid mixture of African and European bees. Africanized Honey Bees? Besides being well-suited for tropical weather, another key distinction between the offspring of the African queens and their European counterparts is that the aforementioned are more aggressive in defending their nests and they tend to swarm more often. A few well-documented stinging incidents have resulted in a bit of public hysteria surrounding this species. And, never one to miss out on a hot new trend, even one rooted in fear, Hollywood and the national media began to apply the name "Killer Bee" to these populations, which further instilled fear into many peoples minds. However, though they are more aggressive when they feel threatened, just like their more docile European ancestors, they are not prone to attack unless unduly provoked. It should be noted, however, that when they do attack, they are known to pursue an intruder for a longer distance than will their European cousins. Also, while most honeybees only attack when their colony is intruded upon, these have been known to attack as a result of loud noises near the hive or even the vibrations produced by machinery, such as lawn mowers or car engines. Their sting is no more deadly than a European honeybee's, but what has caused serious injury and even death in some is the fact that a victim is stung so many times when Africanized honeybees unite in defense. Due to a sporadic number of very severe attacks most of their swarms have already been destroyed. Occasionally, they are discovered onboard ships originating from Central and South America, but these isolated swarms are not considered a public threat, nor are they expected, in any way, to compromise the controlled bees maintained by professional beekeepers. I think I'll let you make up your own mind about these bees...... as for me, well, as much as I love bees I think I'll stay clear if I see any!
Back from Africanized Honeybee to Honey Bees Would you like to read about Tropical Honeys produced by the African Honeybee
Top of Page
Amazon Honey Shopping Store Custom Search Back to Benefits of Honey Homepage
|
