
Q: What happened to Brazil’s honey production as a result of the introduction of killer bees?īrazil went from 4th in world honey production to 27th by the early 1990s. She releases a pheromone that identifies her as the queen. For the past 50 years, the Africanized honey bee (sometimes referred to as the killer bee by sensationalist media stories) has been a public health concern in South and North America. Q: How does a queen bee control her nest? African honeybees, also termed killer bees, have reproduced in great numbers in the Amazon rainforest, forming aggressive swarms that are blamed for nearly 1,000 deaths. food production depend on bees?īees pollinate flowers that turn into fruit, vegetables, plants, and trees. If this response is not reversed within a short time, the person may die of shock. Central America Killer bees sting 6 people to death in Nicaragua after bus plunges into ravine The bus 165-foot plunge into a ravine disturbed the hives of Africanized honey bees, also known as. Venom promotes histamine release from mast cells and basophils (especially in sensitized individuals), which, under the right circumstances, can lead to vasodilation and loss of blood pressure. Most cells release histamine and other biologically active substances. The Africanized bee is a dangerous hybrid, passing down the trait of defensiveness to each offspring. In 1990 the much anticipated arrival of the original African bees’ descendants, now called Africanized honey bees or killer bees reached the southern US and in 2 years, had spread to Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Texas. The bees are slightly smaller than honeybees and have the same venom load per sting, but a defensive attack, such. When some of these bees escaped quarantine in 1957, they began breeding with local Brazilian honey bees. Q: Why is the Africanized bee so defensive?Ĭolor, size, and shape are traits that bees pass along from generation to generation through genes contained in cells. When disturbed, the killer bees have extra soldiers on duty to respond to alarms. Africanized honey bees (AHB) - also called Africanized bees or killer bees - are descendants of southern African bees imported in 1956 by Brazilian scientists attempting to breed a honey bee better adapted to the South American tropics. Q: How much honey does a European bee colony produce compared to an African bee colony?Ī European bee colony produces five times more honey than a Africanized bee colony. An Africanized bee is more defensive than a normal honey bee. They look the same to the casual observer.

The large amount of venom injected by many bees at one time can cause death. Every so often, Africanized honey bees find their way into the news. Africanized honeybees are called 'killer bees' because they aggressively attack in great numbers, leading to massive stinging incidents. Q: What characteristics distinguish the Africanized bee from their European cousin’s? The main differences between killer bees and honey bees are their size and that killer bees, as their name suggests, are more likely to sting when defending their hives than honey bees.
