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Africanized Honey Bees

Africanized Honey Bees. Do we need to be concerned!. Unknown artist’s Scary vision of AfHB. Dewey M. Caron. Origin. Out of East Africa. Swarming into wild in Brazil. Native (Masai) harvest of rustic colony In tree – nightime w/ smoke & fire. Beekeeper contemplating AHB swarm capture.

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Africanized Honey Bees

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  1. Africanized Honey Bees Do we need to be concerned! Unknown artist’s Scary vision of AfHB Dewey M. Caron

  2. Origin Out of East Africa Swarming into wild in Brazil Native (Masai) harvest of rustic colony In tree – nightime w/ smoke & fire Beekeeper contemplating AHB swarm capture Changing American Beekeepers & Beekeeping Beekeeper inspection of AHB colony in Panama Note: using jumbo smoker

  3. Africanized bee spread in Americasfollowing introduction into Brazil (1957) Isolated introductions X by truck/rail/beekeeper - eliminated X Maine blueberry pollination sampling shows increase of AHB X X X X X 2005 Numerous importations into Eastern ports - eliminated X X OK X AR X LA X AL X 2005 Fl considered colonized Pacific coast of Peru/Ecuador due to beekeeper colony movement

  4. Why is Africanized Bee (AHB) sometimes called “killer bee”? “Killer” Bee is a media (TIME) term – Bee is highly defensive and stinging incidents Increase when it colonizes an area (newspaper account AZ & southern CA stinging increase) Animal stinging “accidents” often preceed those with humans see www.stingshield.com/ahb-index.htmfor compilation of media stories

  5. What is an Africanized Bee (AHB)? A Honey Bee Population w/ slight biological changes AHB AHB prefer smaller nest cavities & build exposed nests more often Than temperate (European) bees Workers ‘running’ off comb AHB differences from EHB – swarm a lot, are frequently defensive, run on combs, rear workers in 19 days, queens in 15 ½ days, are slightly smaller bodied, early risers and not great dancers, - slight variations in biology familiar in European (temperate) bees (EHB).

  6. The Africanized bee is a Pollinator papaya Melon pollination in Costa Rica But it is a more difficult bee to manage in planned pollination due to higher swarming /absconding/defensiveness

  7. The AHB is a better honey producer in tropical climates (compared to EHB) Tropical Honey Production Higher elevation (less tropical) conditions in Bolivia

  8. BUT Honey is a valuable medicinein 3rd world rather than food Honey for sale In a Guatamalan Market Note: you buy bottle or piece of comb In wax paper

  9. The AHB is NOT a hybrid! It is essentially pure African but not easy to ID in early stages of colonization Shown is Tom Rinderer, USDA making morphometric measures of wings – mt DNA is a more reliable (but costly) method to determine AHB or EHB

  10. Tropical vs Temperate honey bees Temperate EHB in tropics ● store more honey for winter ● nest in well-insulated cavities ● rear lg worker populations ● only 1-3 swarms/year ●rarely abandon nest Selection factor – winter -- so raise more workers and store more honey to survive, swarming/ abandoning the nest less

  11. Tropical vs Temperate honey bees TropicalAHB in tropics ● smaller nests ● collect more pollen – less honey ● higher reproduction (swarming) ● abandon nests more ● more defensive Selective factor – predation -- so more quickly raise brood and reproduce. Defend more rapidly but also abandon nest to reestablish elsewhere

  12. Challenges w/ AHBIt can be unpredictable! It can sting a lot – humans & animals have died Exploding from colony as it is opened

  13. Challenges w/ AHBNeed new locations Need to plan for defensiveness Must now isolate or conceal colonies w/ vegetative corral and move them away from people & animals

  14. Challenges w/ AHBNeed to modify management They raise lots of brood – store less honey They run off combs when inspected + Keeping them home – must control swarming & absconding

  15. The major challengeRaising manageable stock Queen finding & rearing is very difficult with AHB Where AHB colonize: Not possible to keep AHB & EHB in same apiary (EHB not competitive) IN U.S. Do we have a better chance of keeping gentle European stock?

  16. So where has it colonized in US? XXX Source: ars.usda.gov/AHBmap

  17. Not here ....YET!!! It is a tropical/sub-tropical bee, not a desirable bee for temperate conditions… We do NOT know its eventual distribution within U.S.

  18. What needs to be done? • Inform beekeepers, 1st responders, public • Establish press relations (it will “hit” the press) • Survey for its presence • Revise bee laws • Requeen colony if defensive • Keep on beekeeping Beekeepers are part of “solution” – not part of “problem”

  19. So in summary.... AHB Honey Bee population has changed the face of American beekeeping

  20. It is an excellent tropical/semi-tropical beeWHERE there is NO alternative! Pre-AHB apiary Where they have colonized they are superior competitors – you can’t successfully keep European bees side-by-side

  21. GOOD NEWS!! In South American higher elevations AHB is more manageable! Bolivian apiary at 8500 ft They CAN adapt to severe winters...but do better in the south!

  22. AND they are now a readyresource for rural campesinos A trapped AHB swarm/ abscond - can be transferred to a hive or honey harvested from wild USDA photo

  23. So.... Will where will they be a factor in US Beekeeping??? Primarily they are a TROPICAL/SEMI-TROPICAL ADAPTED BEE

  24. So the answer is.... YET

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