Hobbies And Interests
Physical Characteristics
The scientific name for the Africanized honey bee is Apis mellifera scutellata. It is slightly smaller than the European honey bee Apis mellifera. Both types of bees are brown with black stripes. They both have six legs and four clear wings that are attached to the middle section of their body, which is called the thorax. Both varieties have a coating of fuzz over their bodies, and they have compound eyes that allow them to see ultraviolet light. Both have stingers at the end of their abdomens, according to Columbia University.
Introduction
Neither Africanized nor European honey bees are native to the Americas. Columbia University explains that European honey bees were brought to the north American continent during the early colonial period and have been in America for approximately four hundred years. Africanized honey bees were bred during the 1950's because European honey bees could not thrive in the tropical South American heat. Although they were developed under careful laboratory conditions, some of the bees escaped into the wild and propagated rapidly. The species spread north from Brazil to Mexico and the United States.
Climate and Honey Storage
Elizabeth L. Sears, a writer for the Earthlife website, explains that since European honey bees were brought to the Americas from Europe, they were adapted to survive in a cold climate. European bees collect honey in large colonies and store it as food for the winter when they will be unable to forage. Africanized honey bees, however, were developed in a warm climate where they could forage for food year-round. They do not store food for the winter, but they make copious amounts of honey, which they use to feed their offspring.
Nest Take-Overs
Killer bees often take over the hives of European honey bees. They accomplish this in several different ways. The bees may enter a hive, kill the resident queen and replace her with one of their own, or male Africanized drones may mate with European queen bees. The resulting offspring are aggressive Africanized drones. As a result, the numbers of killer bees are steadily increasing, while the numbers of European honey bees are diminishing, according to the Earthlife website.
Aggression
Africanized honey bees are much more aggressive than European honey bees. The Earthlife website explains that Africanized bees can communicate a threat to one another quickly. The bees leave the hive in large numbers and will sting the object of the supposed threat eight to ten times more frequently than a European honey bee would do in the same situation. Africanized honey bees are called killer bees because of the deaths they have caused to humans and animals by their excessive reactions to perceived threats.