Types Of Bees: Killer Bees, Research, Identifying And Precautions

Of all the common insects in the world, few spawn more fear than killer bees. Africanized, or as they are more commonly known, killer bees, are moving further into the American South and Southwest. As they migrate, people are becoming more aware of the dangers posed by this relatively new breed of bee.

Killer bees are still a mystery for some; as they spread and more people are diagnosed with serious bee allergies, it is extremely important to understand as much about killer bees as possible.

Killer bees differ from other types of bees because of their breeding. Killer bees were originally derived from African and European bees in an attempt to create a bee that would live well in South America. Unfortunately, many African types of bees are very aggressive in defending their territories, which is something that has carried over to killer bees. Killer bees swarm, move entire hives, and are very aggressive. This makes them poor honey bees, and dangerous intruders to the environment.

As a result of their aggressiveness, killer bees are well known and feared for their attacks, and several deaths have resulted from killer bee swarms. Identifying killer bees has become somewhat difficult over the past several years due to their breeding with local bee populations and variations on the strains. In fact, to the naked eye, there is almost no way of identifying killer bees from standard domestic bees. Essentially, without rousing the colony, there is no way for a layman to pick out killer bees; so those in areas with killer bee infestations should avoid colonies if possible.

There are several precautions to take before dealing with killer bees. If at all possible, individuals nearing a killer bee swarm should not have any mechanical devices that cause vibration or make high pitched sounds. They should also avoid wearing strong perfume, scented deodorant or cologne, as this aggravates the colony. Also, killer bees will chase their prey for a quarter mile and will wait for them if they take cover or go into water. It is imperative the face is protected and some form of shelter is nearby. Thankfully, African bees are slower than most average humans, so they can be outrun if need be. However, no amount of precautions can definitely prevent or stray a killer bee attack.

Research shows killer bees will not spread much further North than they already have because they have difficulty tolerating extreme colds. However, until the killer bee population can be effectively determined and somewhat contained, they will remain an agricultural and physical threat to the environments in which they already have colonies. Research scientists are currently examining ways to curtail the killer bee population, and whether or not more gentle African bees can be introduced into the killer bees to even out their aggression. Whether or not research finds a way killer bees can be contained in the future, people living in the areas where they are now must be alert and prepared for killer bee infestations.


Sources:
"Africanized Bee." Wikipedia. 24 July 2007. 6 August 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee.

A"fricanized, Sometimes Called Killer Bees." Insecta Inspecta. 2007. 6 August 2007. http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/bees/killer/index. html.

"Bee Alert: Africanized Honey Bee Facts." U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2007. 6 August 2007. http://www.ci.la.ca.us/council/cd3/bees/indexENG.h tm.