By Keith S. Delaplane
University of
Georgia
In the fear that accompanies the arrival of Africanized bees,
some groups may want to ban beekeeping in their areas. That’s the
very worst thing we could do.
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Beekeepers are the very best defense Georgians have against
Africanized honeybees, more popularly known as “killer” bees.
Without beekeepers, the population density of the docile European
bees already in an area will decline. That will leave the area
open to infestation by Africanized bees. It’s the equivalent of
abandoning territory to the enemy.
Only beekeepers have the knowledge and resources to maintain high
densities of European bees that can genetically dilute
Africanized populations.
As Africanized bees expand into temperate areas, their tropical
adaptations are less advantageous to them. Cold weather seems to
limit both their defensiveness and overwintering ability.
‘Hybrid zones’
These bees are more defensive in warm, tropical regions and less
so in cooler zones. In areas where their ranges overlap,
Africanized and European bees interbreed, causing “hybrid zones”
where bees share African and European traits.
In Argentina, Africanized bees dominate in the northern,
semitropical regions, but European bees dominate in the southern,
temperate areas. The area in between (about latitude 32 to 34) is
a hybrid zone where bees have varying degrees of African or
European traits.
A similar pattern may occur in Georgia with African traits
dominating in southern regions.
It probably won’t be long now before Africanized bees arrive in
Georgia. But it’s important to remember that for most people,
life won’t change at all. We’ll just have one more thing to think
about when we’re outdoors.
Long flight
Introduced into Brazil in the 1950s, Africanized bees arrived in
the United States in October 1990. For the next 15 years, they
spread mostly in the Southwest, including California and southern
Nevada.
Last summer, established populations were formally announced in
Florida.
Compared to the honeybees that European settlers brought here
centuries ago, the African bees are much more defensive. Large
numbers of them sometimes sting people and livestock with little
provocation.
This is the behavior for which the media widely calls them
“killer bees.” People do sometimes get alarmed when they first
arrive, but Africanized bees don’t cause widespread or permanent
chaos.
Don’t panic
Just stay alert for wild bee colonies when you’re outdoors, the
same way you should look out for fire ants and poisonous snakes.
It’s just a matter of being prepared for when they do arrive.
Remember these points:
- Never knowingly approach an occupied bee nest. During
daylight hours, bees can be seen flying to and from their
entrance. - Don’t disturb a swarm of bees. Call a professional bee
removal service or your county University of Georgia Cooperative
Extension agent for help in removing it. - Never climb a tree, kick a log or stump or move trash until
you first check to see whether bees are flying in and out. - Be sure the walls of your house and outbuildings don’t have
cracks or holes where a colony of bees could enter and form a
nest. - Keep an escape route in mind. Never crawl into an enclosed
place from which you can’t quickly exit. - Operators of open-cab tractors are especially at risk from
hidden in-ground colonies. Keeping a beekeeper’s veil on hand is
a good safety precaution.
And in the meantime, it’s vital that we and our lawmakers
understand how critical our European honeybees and consequently
our beekeepers are.
(Keith Delaplane is a Cooperative Extension entomologist with
the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.)
