Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Africanized bees
The one big word of caution here is that, if you live in a part of the world (e.g. parts of
South America or the southern USA) that has been invaded by Africanized bees, the
words above about being deadly may well apply for real, and local laws and regulations
may exist to cater for such an event. These could be clearing people from the area if
appropriate, calling the authorities and so on. You should know about these laws and
regulations and, if you do go near the bees, you should be appropriately clothed.
Researchers and bee breeders are always attempting to improve the honey-bees
in their countries and, in 1956, Brazilian researchers imported honey-bees from
Africa into Brazil in an effort to improve beekeeping in the New World tropics. The
African bees were suited to conditions in Brazil and they began colonizing South
America, hybridizing with European honey-bees (hence the name 'Africanized' honey-
bees) and displacing the European bees.
Compared with the more docile European bees, Africanized honey-bees are extremely
defensive. They attack in large numbers and will sting people and livestock with little
provocation. They will even take over European bee colonies by entering them and
killing the resident queen.
These bees have since moved northwards at a rate of up to 480 km (300 miles) per year
and, today, every country in South and Central America has established populations
of Africanized honey-bees. In 1990 they entered the USA and are gradually creeping
north. Attempts to flood areas with European drones for mating met with little
success: an African queen emerges before a European queen and then, like all queens,
she destroys the other queen cells in the colony. A mixed mating, therefore, will always
result in an African queen and all that it entails. Beware!
For those in Europe and other parts of the world where Africanized bees are absent, you
will have an enjoyable and profitable time collecting swarms. Swarming is a nuisance
to you, but there is a flip-side to this - other beekeepers may not be so zealous in their
swarm-prevention regime and so, if their bees swarm, they may well become your bees
if you can catch them.
