Hobbies And Interests
General Killer Bee Behavior
Africanized honeybees are more opportunistic than other types of honeybees and can acclimate themselves easier to different environments and climatological conditions. No matter where they are in the world, each succeeding batch of Africanized hybrids passes on their short-fused, but long-lived tempers. They are highly adaptable insects that can thrive on low levels of pollen and nectar, and can move at the drop of a hat to a better location, where food sources are more plentiful. Except for their aggressive behavior, they could almost be viewed as "superbees." The chief reason Africanized honeybees are labeled "killer bees" is because they are easily provoked. They angrily swarm intruders, following them doggedly for up to 1/4 mile. A killer bee attack can last for nearly an hour. Though their sting is no different than that of the Egyptian or Italian honeybee, two of the most common honeybees in the U.S., many killer bees attack a victim at the same time, causing multiple stings that can be lethal. They can even be a bad influence on more gentle domestic bees, occasionally turning them to the "dark side," provoking them to join in intruder attacks.
South American Swarms
In South America, beekeepers actually prefer the Africanized hybrids because honey production has increased since the bees arrived on the scene there. The bees traveled at a rate of approximately 200 miles per year, starting from Sao Paulo State, where 26 Tanzanian queen bees escaped from experimental hives. They mated with domestic drones, creating more Africanized bees, and continued traveling throughout the northern portion of that continent. In the early 1990s, five Brazilians, males ranging in ages from 8 to 64, were attacked by killer bee swarms; the numbers of stings each individual received were between 200 and 1,000. Three of the patients died despite massive medical intervention.
Central American Swarms
Mexico seems to be one of the hardest-hit areas for killer bee invasions. For some reason, the swarms there exhibit more aggressive tendencies. In fact, more than 400 people have died from killer bee stings in Mexico alone. In an area south of Mexico City, where killer bee swarms have largely taken over the foraging area from domestic bees, researchers are working to find answers to questions about the killer bees' particularly aggressive behavior, and what can be done to stem the invasion. Etymologists are trying to determine how the Africanized bees can organize themselves so well during an attack.
North American Swarms
The Killer bees' trek to the North American continent has been slower than their invasion of South and Central America, most likely due to more drastic differences in climate. Since their spread to the U.S. during the 1990s, killer bees have posed a threat to the once-peaceful and plentiful honey production in states like Florida, Arizona, Texas, California and New Mexico. The Africanized "killer bees" do produce honey, but because of their dominance and aggressiveness, domestic bees kept by beekeepers may find their foraging areas in shorter supply. Beekeepers in states affected by the newcomer killer bees are hoping to come to an eventual peaceful co-existence with the bees after educating the public about the bees' peculiar and sometimes dangerous behavior.
More Human Intervention
It has been discovered that Africanized bees form a 30-mile radius around their colonies and patrol the area regularly. If an intruder stumbles into this 30-miles radius, swarms of killer bees initially bump or collide with the intruder without stinging. If the intruder takes the none-too-subtle hint leaves, the bees will not sting. If the intruder remains, however, the killer bees will attack. Africanized killer bees aren't bad bees; they're just bees. Somehow, during the hybridizing process brought about by humans, they inherited genetic material from the African honeybee and the European honeybee that caused defensive, aggressive behavior. Some scientists in the U.S. are experimenting with injecting the sperm of more gentle European honeybees into Africanized killer bee queens and releasing the queens into the wild in the hopes of creating a less-defensive bee strain.