As a Beekeeper in Southern Arizona, and I also do swarm removal and cutouts, I think you are understating the very real danger and risks of interaction with AHB. The AHB have characteristics in their behavior that are pretty much non-existent in a typical European honey bee. Such as a tendency to make a hive in areas low to the ground. Examples of such, discarded tires, over turned flowerpots, cavities in the ground and valve pits such as where you would find irrigation or water valves. AHB also are more triggered by vibrations and noise such as generated by a leaf blower or lawn mower. AHB will also pursue in defense of the hive far longer, be it in distance or time than a typical EHB. Granted, some EHB can get quite grumpy, at times and be no fun. And yes AHB do have hygienic qualities regarding mites. However, I will point out, that in Southern Arizona every year one of two people, a few dogs and sometimes livestock get killed by AHB. Yes, AHB if worked in a apiary, over time seem to mellow out somewhat in particular if the hive is kept small. But in the wild, including urban areas, swarms and hives are a whole different situation, and they can kill you. This should not be understated.
Last week I had a swarm of Africanized Honey Bees on my swamp cooler. My son saw it (he is 31 years old) and didn't think much of it. That swarm is now located in my exterior siding. One stung me the other day while I was weeding about 6' from their hive. Trying frantically to get someone out here to either relocate or eradicate them. I'm leaving this one up to the professionals.
Agreed, from TX, have some experience with them, had some follow me a full 1/2 mile back to my house. I wasn't messing with the hive but was working near that hive. My wife insisted I use my bee suit which I thought was overkill since I wasn't touching the hives. However I did it to keep her happy. Saved my life, dang near suffocated me even with my good suit on. We have a couple folks every year die from them. I use sheep to graze amongst the hives, never a problem. Had a wild hive come into some trees a little bit from the house. I was going to get them into a hive at some point. A large work over rig went by on the road and the noise/vibration shook a dead limb loose. The bees almost killed 20 of my sheep that were penned near there. If I had not been outside and seen them getting after our dog and then us most of the sheep would have died. I got a suit on and went to inspect. A couple of sheep had gotten out and others were laying down with their nostrils stuffed with bees and their faces covered. I had to pick them up and carry them away from the area (that liked to have got me, summertime) Then I went to doctoring them with dexamethasone, which I keep on hand for bees and mostly snake bites (very common here). It permanently deformed the heads on several of those sheep, everyone that saw them years later wanted to know what was wrong with them. So yeah, she seemed pretty darned irresponsible making the statement no body should be worried about them and the worse you'll get is a few stings in. Had a close friend in 2020 get into some, didn't kill him at the time but it triggered some heart problems that killed less than a year later. He was in superb health prior to getting attacked.
I'm an apiary worker from New Zealand, haven't had the pleasure of witnessing africanized bees myself yet, but have heard tales through my colleagues. You've answered all my questions about them, thank you for the informative video, you did an excellent job
In Brazil, for honey production, we keep only Africanized bees, because they produced more than native or European bees. And they are not this “monster” that Hollywood put in your minds 👍
Everyone is thinking of honey bees for pollinators. But people forget or just don't know that the bumblebee is a much better pollinator. Because they do not produce money honey people just kind of neglected them.
I am from South Africa and gave 8 hives in my garden. We do not have a problem with them as this is what we are used to. At least the criminals stay away from my house.
You are so right! The only way to tell and Africanized honey bee from a non-Africanized bee is through genetic testing! Many comments by many people indicate a struggle with this concept.
European honeybees will attack in defense of their hive. They deploy just enough bees to repel an intruder and then retreat to the hive when the threat has moved on. They return to normal fairly quickly. The AFB however will empty the locker-room in response to the threat. Many more bees respond and do not stop attacking the intruder no matter how far removed the threat is. They will follow you forever! The entire hive is in battle mode for a long time afterwards.
If you are in Arizona, then it's almost a 100% chance that they are Africanized. Just to point out something that is being hotly debated in the comments between these experts and people who have experiences with bees in the Africanized areas: we still can coexist and keep these bees. Most people in southern AZ have had several stings in their lifetime but understand the importance of them as pollinators. They also know that they are deadly and try to stay away from them. However, several times a year, someone is killed by them without even knowing they are near.
@apieceofbread9022 I wouldn't say it's histaria. Bees kill more people in AZ than snakes. It's not a huge risk that you will be killed but you need to be aware. If there is a hive in your shed in the backyard, there is no doubt that you will be attacked eventually, even if you are unaware of them. They are aggressive here in southern AZ. But people respect them and get them relocated away from people they can harm.
... I was under the impression that other natural pollinators aren't relied on to pollinate crops because they are selective and don't pollinate every flower, compared to the bee, which basically pollinates every flower...
Thank you for your comment. While it is true that honey bees are "generalists" when pollinating flowers, there are native bees that are “generalist” as well. That said, your impression that some native bees are “specialist” is also true. The world of insect pollination is a fascinating place!
Good video. I learned some new thing about Africanized bees, but I have to say that some people, dogs, and horses have been killed by the bees in southern AZ. To my knowledge, none went knocking on their hives, but perhaps got a little too close. Is there a time when they are more aggressive than usual?
Jan, thank you for your comment. Sorry I was slow on the response. Ms. Twombly Ellis offered this response - "All honey bees are more aggressive during cool, rainy weather. Africanized honey bees have a super aggressive response to the pheromone produced when a sting is made. The best thing you or a pet can do when a sting is made by any honey bee is to get indoors. Animals killed by honey bees are unable to do that."
I appreciate her understanding of Afracnized Honey Bees. Her closing statement atually sums up why we may need a strain of AHB in the pool of genetics in our honey bee queens to combat pests and mites. You did a good job Jordan. Thank you.
I'm beginning to agree with your theory. I'm also wondering if it's possible? AHB seem to restructure themselves based on specific location. I'm looking at AHB's that are in small regions, humid islands with 2 seasons more or less. Rainy period and nice period. In these conditions AHB's will adapt, they begin to produce fewer soldiers/guards, and turn out increased numbers of foragers. This in turn changes the temperament of the colony, making it more similar to the workability of European bees. The problem is the location and climate. People expect all bees to be adaptable, but perhaps the only ones able to do this are AHB's. It's difficult to research, people have so much fear of the defensive traits. If people want bees to become adaptable, they must attempt to give them the things missing from an ideal climate. My area of interest is humidity, I believe if this can be offered to colony's as a tool for self regulation, then some of common problems may be reduced - so much fun.
Good video. im in africa and we have bee keepers here...obviously and when I watch some youtube videos about african killer bees being so dangerous and having to kill them.... i think hey what are these people on about? i have a hive in my backyard and i dont even know they are there... no aggression.
The African bees do not hybridize well with European bees. Genetic tests in the Brazilian area around the original release point showed that 30 years later, the bees were still primarily African. Also, your video leaves the impression that people should not fear Africanized bees. But let's put it this way... Everyone needs to have great respect for African bees. Do NOT attempt to deal with a hive on your property. Call in experts. African bees DO kill animals and people - usually toddlers or the elderly. Here in Arizona, 100% of feral hives are Africanized and significant bee attacks happen a couple times a year. I gave up backyard beekeeping because it's too difficult now, and IMO, it's irresponsible to keep Africanized hives in an urban setting.
I spoke to the presenter about your comments and she wants to underscore this point: There is no way to tell an Africanized bee from a European bee without genetic testing. Also, she is interested in you providing the citation for your comment that 100% of feral colonies in Arizona are Africanized. Jordan is in her 5th year of her PhD program and has not seen that study. She was also very interested in the study you mentioned that tested bees in the release area in Brazil 30 years later. Please provide that citation as her studies indicate "Africanized" genes are spread quite easily through the European honey bee genome.
Let’s be honest Africanized honey bees will swarm and kill you. It is really hard to tell the difference. They say that Africanized honey bees are smaller and have darker gold and brown bands.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute The words thrown around like "always, never, and 100 %" are mighty big for the scientific minded. Not being from AZ and not being a researcher of either Africanized or European bees, here is a study of only the Sonoran Desert of SW AZ and not all of AZ. A mtDNA study done in 2005 showed then 86.9% Africanized. I am sure the presentor is aware this study and I enjoyed her presentation and her opinion. The study is only 18 years old and folks could reasonably see the area or % enlarging in that time frame. Rabe, Michael J., Steven S. Rosenstock, and David I. Nielsen. “Feral Africanized Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera) in Sonoran Desert Habitats of Southwestern Arizona.” The Southwestern Naturalist 50, no. 3 (2005): 307-11. Thanks keep up the good work
Back in the late 70s/early 80s, I remember watching the old show "In Search Of with Leonard Nimoy" and there was an episode about 'killer bees' that recounted their history, the dangers they posed, and their gradual trek to America.
I actually managed to buy some killer bee honey in the UK. Company called Mama Buci - honey's brilliant but apparently they have a high staff turnover :- )
Could you share the statistical analysis of bee 'attitude'? Is there a rubric that's been used and blind tested ( to account for bias)? It seems that Africanized bees' environment requires them to live in survival mode. Also, could you share the history of who gave these bees their names? African honeybees have been around for ages, and I've not been able to locate data on West African honeybee farmers ascribing the same name and negative connotations as I've heard from the West.
Yeah. The African HoneyBee seems like it belongs in Africa. They deal with more predators here ... who or what wouldn't be more aggressive, when having to deal with a predator? Also colder climates affect their behaviours, that's why they haven't gone any further North from the southern U.S. states and they don't like the vibration of lawnmowers, leaf blowers, cell phones and the like, it confuses them and the confusion makes them angry and want to attack!!!
P.L. - Thanks for your questions. I talked to Jordan and she told me that there is an instrument used to characterize bee aggression and it is called an aggression assay. She also told me that the instrument is not standardized and has many different forms. I don't know if you read this whole thread so I will repeat this again. The only way a person can tell if a honey bee is "Africanized" is through genetic testing. To your point about African beekeepers not complaining about aggressive bees, Jordan reports many cases where "European" honey bee colonies are more aggressive than there "Africanized" counterparts. These are colonies that have been tested so she knows their genetics. Finally, Jordan does not know who named the "Africanized" bees as such. Thanks for deepening the conversation.
The whole swarm escapes. That initialy was a tragedy for brasilian beekeepers. The african bees were much more agressive in comparison our european bees...thousands of european honey bee swarm were destructed in invasions by african bees. What the beekeepers of North America are facing now is not so tragical as hier um Brasil, during the 60's and 70's.
I enjoyed your video but I don't totally agree with everything you said. I am a bee keeper in California and most bees in my area have become Africanized. They are much more aggressive than the bees of 30 years ago. Each hive is different but I have removed hives that were so aggressive that they attacked when i entered the within 50 feet of the hive. The worst attack I had thousands of bees on me. They do act differently when it gets cold. After my first very cold night this year 4 hives that were among the meanest up and left leaving honey and brood behind. Some Africans make very little extra honey and I have zero problems with mites. I hope your right about them getting calmer because they are much more difficult to monitor and inspect the hives, remove honey and prevent swarming or absconding.
Sorry so slow to respond. I checked with the presenter and she said that the only way you can tell if bees are "Africanized" is through DNA testing. So unless you have tested your bees you can not know if they are "Africanized" through their behavior. Jordan told me that some of the most aggressive bees in the Texas A&M apiary are not "Africanized". They have tested the genetics on all of their hives.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute I've worked with bees on and off for 40 years and never run into bees like these so I contacted the state and they said that 60% of bees being tested are turning out to be Africanized. I don't have the ability to test the bees myself but I see no other reason for these bees to attack when you approach within 50 feet of the hives. I simply have to deal with the attacks and smoke them several times before opening the hives. They also follow me for a mile away from the hives. I've never seen European bees act this way.
I'm from south Africa and I was so confused when i heard that africanized bees are aggressive. Our bees are so sweet and kind, We can scoop them up with our hands. They are completely wild and whenever they flee a hive they end up in my yard and we help them out with shelter until they are ready to move again. I'm not a bee expert, we just kinda take responsibility for the animals and creatures who live on our property. I've never been stung once
I went outside in my yard. I never had a swarm of bees that look like honey bees come after me. And when I got into the house and kept the screen door open they were coming after me! So yea I don’t want them on my property bc I can’t go outside as sun as vibration happens or I go on my yard proch here they come from nowhere after me! I had seen more docile yellow jackets! No doubt they set up home somewhere in my yard and they seem to disappear on one side of my porch roof. They feel I’m in their territory. It ain’t fun when u can’t go outside. And if I plant my pots out there how will I go out and water the plants if they follow me around the yard eveb to the front of the house! Not kidding. I have video of them even coming at me thru a screen door. They just casually do it it. Like hey let me land on u for a second type thung. Their behavior at first when u see one is like okay. Yiur a curious bee. I’m not a flower. But that one very quickly turned into 20 when I went to one part of my yard! And then they were trying to land on me like they were wasps or yellow jackets. They no longer acted like honey bees!
Thanx for the info, great presentation, I like your confidence and humility to learn about an important and fascinating subject. You are really cute. Do you have any beehives of your own?
Nice video, and nice explanation of why native bees can't do the job for agriculture in the US. But I think your comments about Africanized bees are based on your experience with "watered-down" Africanized bees from the US. You only have to go a little bit farther south and Africanized bees become far more dangerous. In Costa Rica biologists have been killed, and in Ecuador where I now live, my friends and co-workers and I have had multiple close brushes with death. In none of these fatal or near-fatal encounters was there any deliberate provocation of the bees. In my own case, it appears some bird or animal had messed with a hive somewhere in the forest, and the bees found my student group and attacked furiously, pursuing the students who had to run for more than a kilometer to get away. Girls had their hair filled with bees, students were collapsing on the ground, etc. A full-grown bull was killed near where I live. An employee of our conservation foundation was walking in the forest when she was attacked so badly that shealmost passed out, and narrowly escaped death. Non-native honeybees are very efficient collectors of resources that native bees also need. In conservation areas (as opposed to agricultural landscapes) of the Americas, even European honeybees have no place, and should be eliminated. This is even more true of the Africanized bees. We are working on ways to safely eliminate them without affecting other species in our reserves.
Lou, Thanks for your comment. I spoke with the presenter and asked her to respond to your comment. She agreed that non-native bees in conservation areas need to be excluded if possible. She also wanted to know how you knew that the aggressive bees that you and your students encounter are indeed "Africanized." You cannot tell by appearance. The only way to tell is through DNA analysis. Jordan told me that some of the most aggressive bees in the Texas A&M apiary are not "Africanized". They have tested the genetics on all of their hives so they know which hives are "Africanized."
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute Thanks for asking her, and Jordan, thanks for your response. Africanized honeybees reached eastern Ecuador very quickly, since there are no geographic barriers to cross. As far as I know, all wild honeybees in eastern Ecuador are Africanized and have been so for a very long time. While Jordan says that some normal honeybees are as agressive as her Africanized bees, when I lived in the US in the 60s ad 70s there were hardly ever reports of unprovoked mass bee attacks on people or animals.Anyway, my point was primarily that Jordan greatly understates the danger posed by Africanized honeybees, as other commenters have also noticed. If she wishes to say that even regular honeybess are so dangerous, well, that's not my experience but I don't really know. What I do know is that Africanized honeybees are deadly, and in my opinion they are the most dangerous thing in our forests, topping poisonous snakes, jaguars, etc. Her solution to "get indoors" is generally impossible.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute Wayne's comment is one anecdote about one hive. His experience does not reflect the life-threatening experiences of myself, my field team, and their relatives. See Jan Schwartz' and Roy Hammill's comments below.
American created movies about killer bees and now everybody in USA invented this histories about bees killing. In Brazil the “killer bees” are litteraly a normal bee, not a “killer”. We have no fear of them. Stop create this histories about Africanized bees. Stop been a KID 🙄
Make no mistake AHB are a real danger. When they attack it is an all-hands battle and they do not quit. They will follow you a very long distance and will not simply give up and return to the hive. Occasionally my hives here in south Texas become Africanized. There is no joy in working those hives and the only option is to requeen and endure until the new brood replaces the existing bees. Even with protective gear I have gotten several stings. I have no doubt that without protective gear they will cause serios injury.
This is informative, thank you! I'd recommend that beekeepers be very proactive and not allow aggressive honeybees to breed, regardless of ancestry. It's so racist, lol.
Sun&Snow - Thank you for the comment. You would be surprised to see the research being done at bee research facilities around the world aimed at what you suggest. To make matters a little more complicated is the fact that bee researchers would like to somehow capture the resistance to Varroa mites that Africanized bees seem to carry.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute It sounds very possible! It's funny, but I recently posted on NextDoor that I was dealing with some very aggressive honeybees in my compost tumbler. I got a plethora of very emotional replies suggesting that so-and-so pick them up (not to euthanize, but to "save" them). I can tell you, if I so much as breathed any remote allusion to cutting short the life of a honeybee, I would be publicly humiliated and run out of town. It's very hard to talk sense around the "save the bees" rhetoric.
Thank you for sharing this information. I am in Texas and am thinking about establishing a hive. We do have many wild honeybees here - often in colonies in hollow trees - and they seem relatively gentle...though I know that much of our feral population is now Africanized. By chance, is the foraging behavior of Africanized honeybees any different from that of solely European ones? Are they perhaps more aggressive in seeking out food sources?
From what I've read ahb are more likely to forage in all climate situations and more likely to forage solitarily, and prefer to forage during sunrise/sunset (like deer), while EHB forage in little groups and prefer nice weather (mild, sunny days). Hope this helps!
Every time a hive with a "European" honeybee swarm, the virgin queen that replace her is mated openly to drones of unknown genetics. Sometimes those genetics contain Africanized genes. The resulting hybrid is watered down with every successive mating. Just as most queen breeders will admit that their queens are from an Italian breeder queen. the genetics are not ever 100% pure due to open breeding. I submit that the same is true with AHB. They too will be watered down genetically until the dramatic differences will eventually disappear.
Thanks for this video. It's a good rebuttal to the sensationalist garbage on the various documentary channels and the hysterical doom mongering on social media. Without the same environmental pressures that made African bees aggressive, do you think it likely that the bees currently in the Americas will evolve to lose their aggression in time?
Thank you for your comment. Genetic research at Texas A&M and other universities focuses on your very question along with research focused on "Africanized" bees' resistance to Varoa mite infestations.
I have just started bee keeping . I was Afraid of our own African bee while thinking on how to get honey bee. So it is probably not in Africa it is lab mistake that you did
One minor detail: Both African honey bees and European honey bees are "Apis Mellifera". The AHB is a subspecies, Apis m. scutellata. Both are Mellifera, though.
why don't you talk about the gorilla in the room pesticides and herbicides ,GMO , always talking around the real issues and truth of the impact these products have
William - Thank you for your comment. The negative effect of pesticides on honey bee colonies is a big issue, however it is not the topic of this talk. Maybe I can persuade the researcher to create a different video focused on that topic!
Thank you, I am just now getting into beekeeping and this was one of the biggest questions that I had. You answered it perfectly.
Thank you for your comment!
As a Beekeeper in Southern Arizona, and I also do swarm removal and cutouts, I think you are understating the very real danger and risks of interaction with AHB. The AHB have characteristics in their behavior that are pretty much non-existent in a typical European honey bee. Such as a tendency to make a hive in areas low to the ground. Examples of such, discarded tires, over turned flowerpots, cavities in the ground and valve pits such as where you would find irrigation or water valves. AHB also are more triggered by vibrations and noise such as generated by a leaf blower or lawn mower. AHB will also pursue in defense of the hive far longer, be it in distance or time than a typical EHB. Granted, some EHB can get quite grumpy, at times and be no fun. And yes AHB do have hygienic qualities regarding mites. However, I will point out, that in Southern Arizona every year one of two people, a few dogs and sometimes livestock get killed by AHB. Yes, AHB if worked in a apiary, over time seem to mellow out somewhat in particular if the hive is kept small. But in the wild, including urban areas, swarms and hives are a whole different situation, and they can kill you. This should not be understated.
Last week I had a swarm of Africanized Honey Bees on my swamp cooler. My son saw it (he is 31 years old) and didn't think much of it. That swarm is now located in my exterior siding. One stung me the other day while I was weeding about 6' from their hive. Trying frantically to get someone out here to either relocate or eradicate them. I'm leaving this one up to the professionals.
@@danuschild did you ever get them removed?
@@al-du6lb Yes I did. They had to be exterminated by a professional. Thank you for asking.
Thank you! I was a bit floored that an expert would say in a blanket statement that “nobody thinks AHB’s are dangerous”.
Agreed, from TX, have some experience with them, had some follow me a full 1/2 mile back to my house. I wasn't messing with the hive but was working near that hive. My wife insisted I use my bee suit which I thought was overkill since I wasn't touching the hives. However I did it to keep her happy. Saved my life, dang near suffocated me even with my good suit on.
We have a couple folks every year die from them. I use sheep to graze amongst the hives, never a problem. Had a wild hive come into some trees a little bit from the house. I was going to get them into a hive at some point. A large work over rig went by on the road and the noise/vibration shook a dead limb loose. The bees almost killed 20 of my sheep that were penned near there. If I had not been outside and seen them getting after our dog and then us most of the sheep would have died. I got a suit on and went to inspect. A couple of sheep had gotten out and others were laying down with their nostrils stuffed with bees and their faces covered. I had to pick them up and carry them away from the area (that liked to have got me, summertime) Then I went to doctoring them with dexamethasone, which I keep on hand for bees and mostly snake bites (very common here). It permanently deformed the heads on several of those sheep, everyone that saw them years later wanted to know what was wrong with them.
So yeah, she seemed pretty darned irresponsible making the statement no body should be worried about them and the worse you'll get is a few stings in.
Had a close friend in 2020 get into some, didn't kill him at the time but it triggered some heart problems that killed less than a year later.
He was in superb health prior to getting attacked.
…JORDAN T.E. your electrifying and natural essence transmits a rare jewel: “Believe”
Thank you for your comment Rich. We here at NHI absolutely agree with you!
Thank you. I can tell your were nervous but you did great job!
I'm an apiary worker from New Zealand, haven't had the pleasure of witnessing africanized bees myself yet, but have heard tales through my colleagues. You've answered all my questions about them, thank you for the informative video, you did an excellent job
Thank you! Glad you found this video helpful.
Watch "The killer bee Guy" on you tube., You will have a different take on the subject. Seriously check it out.
A really interesting and well presented video! Thanks for your work!
In Brazil, for honey production, we keep only Africanized bees, because they produced more than native or European bees. And they are not this “monster” that Hollywood put in your minds 👍
convince me..thank you!!
You can’t be serious? Killer bees will kill you wake up
Everyone is thinking of honey bees for pollinators. But people forget or just don't know that the bumblebee is a much better pollinator. Because they do not produce money honey people just kind of neglected them.
I am from South Africa and gave 8 hives in my garden. We do not have a problem with them as this is what we are used to. At least the criminals stay away from my house.
Don't all bees attack in defense of a hive? How would a person know the difference?
You are so right! The only way to tell and Africanized honey bee from a non-Africanized bee is through genetic testing! Many comments by many people indicate a struggle with this concept.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute I think it's just "lingering hysteria" perhaps a generation of people who relied on the corporate media a bit too much? 🤔
European honeybees will attack in defense of their hive. They deploy just enough bees to repel an intruder and then retreat to the hive when the threat has moved on. They return to normal fairly quickly. The AFB however will empty the locker-room in response to the threat. Many more bees respond and do not stop attacking the intruder no matter how far removed the threat is. They will follow you forever! The entire hive is in battle mode for a long time afterwards.
If you are in Arizona, then it's almost a 100% chance that they are Africanized. Just to point out something that is being hotly debated in the comments between these experts and people who have experiences with bees in the Africanized areas: we still can coexist and keep these bees. Most people in southern AZ have had several stings in their lifetime but understand the importance of them as pollinators. They also know that they are deadly and try to stay away from them. However, several times a year, someone is killed by them without even knowing they are near.
@apieceofbread9022 I wouldn't say it's histaria. Bees kill more people in AZ than snakes. It's not a huge risk that you will be killed but you need to be aware. If there is a hive in your shed in the backyard, there is no doubt that you will be attacked eventually, even if you are unaware of them. They are aggressive here in southern AZ. But people respect them and get them relocated away from people they can harm.
Really enjoyed the informative..... love learning about bees, but especially africanized. Thank you Jordan
... I was under the impression that other natural pollinators aren't relied on to pollinate crops because they are selective and don't pollinate every flower, compared to the bee, which basically pollinates every flower...
Thank you for your comment. While it is true that honey bees are "generalists" when pollinating flowers, there are native bees that are “generalist” as well. That said, your impression that some native bees are “specialist” is also true. The world of insect pollination is a fascinating place!
Good video. I learned some new thing about Africanized bees, but I have to say that some people, dogs, and horses have been killed by the bees in southern AZ. To my knowledge, none went knocking on their hives, but perhaps got a little too close. Is there a time when they are more aggressive than usual?
Jan, thank you for your comment. Sorry I was slow on the response. Ms. Twombly Ellis offered this response - "All honey bees are more aggressive during cool, rainy weather. Africanized honey bees have a super aggressive response to the pheromone produced when a sting is made. The best thing you or a pet can do when a sting is made by any honey bee is to get indoors. Animals killed by honey bees are unable to do that."
I appreciate her understanding of Afracnized Honey Bees. Her closing statement atually sums up why we may need a strain of AHB in the pool of genetics in our honey bee queens to combat pests and mites.
You did a good job Jordan. Thank you.
I'm beginning to agree with your theory. I'm also wondering if it's possible? AHB seem to restructure themselves based on specific location. I'm looking at AHB's that are in small regions, humid islands with 2 seasons more or less. Rainy period and nice period. In these conditions AHB's will adapt, they begin to produce fewer soldiers/guards, and turn out increased numbers of foragers. This in turn changes the temperament of the colony, making it more similar to the workability of European bees. The problem is the location and climate. People expect all bees to be adaptable, but perhaps the only ones able to do this are AHB's. It's difficult to research, people have so much fear of the defensive traits. If people want bees to become adaptable, they must attempt to give them the things missing from an ideal climate. My area of interest is humidity, I believe if this can be offered to colony's as a tool for self regulation, then some of common problems may be reduced - so much fun.
Thanks for this
Used to think they would terrorise the world but this is the more recent vid and almost 3 years old
Good video. im in africa and we have bee keepers here...obviously and when I watch some youtube videos about african killer bees being so dangerous and having to kill them.... i think hey what are these people on about? i have a hive in my backyard and i dont even know they are there... no aggression.
Its africanised killer bees. It’s the mix of European and African bees that can be dangerous to livestock and sometimes humans.
The speaker does not make that claim.
They should come to south Africa and meet the African Honey Bee...And tackle a honey locked Hive.. lol
Well, finally a video that tells what Africanized means. Thanks! Most video's suppose we know it all, or we don't wanna know.
i wanted to watch this because this the type of bees that just swarmed my neighborhood and let no one leave their house for like 3 hours
African Honey Bees are the best..if you know HOW..they are Temperamental...here in south Africa..
The African bees do not hybridize well with European bees. Genetic tests in the Brazilian area around the original release point showed that 30 years later, the bees were still primarily African. Also, your video leaves the impression that people should not fear Africanized bees. But let's put it this way... Everyone needs to have great respect for African bees. Do NOT attempt to deal with a hive on your property. Call in experts. African bees DO kill animals and people - usually toddlers or the elderly. Here in Arizona, 100% of feral hives are Africanized and significant bee attacks happen a couple times a year. I gave up backyard beekeeping because it's too difficult now, and IMO, it's irresponsible to keep Africanized hives in an urban setting.
I spoke to the presenter about your comments and she wants to underscore this point: There is no way to tell an Africanized bee from a European bee without genetic testing. Also, she is interested in you providing the citation for your comment that 100% of feral colonies in Arizona are Africanized. Jordan is in her 5th year of her PhD program and has not seen that study. She was also very interested in the study you mentioned that tested bees in the release area in Brazil 30 years later. Please provide that citation as her studies indicate "Africanized" genes are spread quite easily through the European honey bee genome.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute
There is this thing called Google. Dr Bee PhD, look up
Let’s be honest Africanized honey bees will swarm and kill you. It is really hard to tell the difference. They say that Africanized honey bees are smaller and have darker gold and brown bands.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute
The words thrown around like "always, never, and 100 %" are mighty big for the scientific minded.
Not being from AZ and not being a researcher of either Africanized or European bees, here is a study of only the Sonoran Desert of SW AZ and not all of AZ. A mtDNA study done in 2005 showed then 86.9% Africanized.
I am sure the presentor is aware this study and I enjoyed her presentation and her opinion.
The study is only 18 years old and folks could reasonably see the area or % enlarging in that time frame.
Rabe, Michael J., Steven S. Rosenstock, and David I. Nielsen. “Feral Africanized Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera) in Sonoran Desert Habitats of Southwestern Arizona.” The Southwestern Naturalist 50, no. 3 (2005): 307-11.
Thanks keep up the good work
Back in the late 70s/early 80s, I remember watching the old show "In Search Of with Leonard Nimoy" and there was an episode about 'killer bees' that recounted their history, the dangers they posed, and their gradual trek to America.
good info....charming delivery,thanks.
Thanks for watching Curt!
Wow you covered every question I had thanks awesome educational video
Thank you for the comment!
I actually managed to buy some killer bee honey in the UK. Company called Mama Buci - honey's brilliant but apparently they have a high staff turnover :- )
Excellent Jordan..Michael
So Brazil is to blame for the Killer Bee problem in the US?
No.Whoever was the one who hybrodized the bees together, is to blame.
Could you share the statistical analysis of bee 'attitude'? Is there a rubric that's been used and blind tested ( to account for bias)? It seems that Africanized bees' environment requires them to live in survival mode. Also, could you share the history of who gave these bees their names? African honeybees have been around for ages, and I've not been able to locate data on West African honeybee farmers ascribing the same name and negative connotations as I've heard from the West.
Yeah. The African HoneyBee seems like it belongs in Africa. They deal with more predators here ... who or what wouldn't be more aggressive, when having to deal with a predator? Also colder climates affect their behaviours, that's why they haven't gone any further North from the southern U.S. states and they don't like the vibration of lawnmowers, leaf blowers, cell phones and the like, it confuses them and the confusion makes them angry and want to attack!!!
P.L. - Thanks for your questions. I talked to Jordan and she told me that there is an instrument used to characterize bee aggression and it is called an aggression assay. She also told me that the instrument is not standardized and has many different forms. I don't know if you read this whole thread so I will repeat this again. The only way a person can tell if a honey bee is "Africanized" is through genetic testing. To your point about African beekeepers not complaining about aggressive bees, Jordan reports many cases where "European" honey bee colonies are more aggressive than there "Africanized" counterparts. These are colonies that have been tested so she knows their genetics. Finally, Jordan does not know who named the "Africanized" bees as such. Thanks for deepening the conversation.
All the suffering native bees wonder "who's bee's?"
In Brazil when the queens escaped were the drones free to come and go as drones do, or did they escape also with the queens?
The whole swarm escapes. That initialy was a tragedy for brasilian beekeepers. The african bees were much more agressive in comparison our european bees...thousands of european honey bee swarm were destructed in invasions by african bees. What the beekeepers of North America are facing now is not so tragical as hier um Brasil, during the 60's and 70's.
im in TX and all my have are africinized. my mite count is never over 2 in a wash.
FD Man, Thanks for the comment. This info is consistent with the info Jordan presented. Varroa mite resistance!
Are they in certain parts of Texas or all of Texas because we are moving their soon.
I enjoyed your video but I don't totally agree with everything you said. I am a bee keeper in California and most bees in my area have become Africanized. They are much more aggressive than the bees of 30 years ago. Each hive is different but I have removed hives that were so aggressive that they attacked when i entered the within 50 feet of the hive. The worst attack I had thousands of bees on me. They do act differently when it gets cold. After my first very cold night this year 4 hives that were among the meanest up and left leaving honey and brood behind. Some Africans make very little extra honey and I have zero problems with mites. I hope your right about them getting calmer because they are much more difficult to monitor and inspect the hives, remove honey and prevent swarming or absconding.
Sorry so slow to respond. I checked with the presenter and she said that the only way you can tell if bees are "Africanized" is through DNA testing. So unless you have tested your bees you can not know if they are "Africanized" through their behavior. Jordan told me that some of the most aggressive bees in the Texas A&M apiary are not "Africanized". They have tested the genetics on all of their hives.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute I've worked with bees on and off for 40 years and never run into bees like these so I contacted the state and they said that 60% of bees being tested are turning out to be Africanized. I don't have the ability to test the bees myself but I see no other reason for these bees to attack when you approach within 50 feet of the hives. I simply have to deal with the attacks and smoke them several times before opening the hives. They also follow me for a mile away from the hives. I've never seen European bees act this way.
@@royhamill5719 Wow. Seems like they should be "managed" somehow to prevent those genes from spreading further in N. America.
@@royhamill5719 Yep, no comparison
I'm from south Africa and I was so confused when i heard that africanized bees are aggressive. Our bees are so sweet and kind, We can scoop them up with our hands. They are completely wild and whenever they flee a hive they end up in my yard and we help them out with shelter until they are ready to move again. I'm not a bee expert, we just kinda take responsibility for the animals and creatures who live on our property. I've never been stung once
2:22 big facts. We just had to shoe a swarm out of our sailboat sitting next to the sunflower patch, which lead me here! :)
Thank you friend for spreading the love of our fuzzy little pollinators.
good explanation
Thanks and welcome
Ty. Im doing research myself on honey bees so that answered some questions i had
You sound so nervous but you got the point across. Randomly got a bee video on my feed. This was very informative.
I went outside in my yard. I never had a swarm of bees that look like honey bees come after me. And when I got into the house and kept the screen door open they were coming after me! So yea I don’t want them on my property bc I can’t go outside as sun as vibration happens or I go on my yard proch here they come from nowhere after me! I had seen more docile yellow jackets! No doubt they set up home somewhere in my yard and they seem to disappear on one side of my porch roof. They feel I’m in their territory. It ain’t fun when u can’t go outside. And if I plant my pots out there how will I go out and water the plants if they follow me around the yard eveb to the front of the house! Not kidding. I have video of them even coming at me thru a screen door. They just casually do it it. Like hey let me land on u for a second type thung. Their behavior at first when u see one is like okay. Yiur a curious bee. I’m not a flower. But that one very quickly turned into 20 when I went to one part of my yard! And then they were trying to land on me like they were wasps or yellow jackets. They no longer acted like honey bees!
Great information!
Thanx for the info, great presentation, I like your confidence and humility to learn about an important and fascinating subject. You are really cute. Do you have any beehives of your own?
Nice video, and nice explanation of why native bees can't do the job for agriculture in the US. But I think your comments about Africanized bees are based on your experience with "watered-down" Africanized bees from the US. You only have to go a little bit farther south and Africanized bees become far more dangerous. In Costa Rica biologists have been killed, and in Ecuador where I now live, my friends and co-workers and I have had multiple close brushes with death. In none of these fatal or near-fatal encounters was there any deliberate provocation of the bees. In my own case, it appears some bird or animal had messed with a hive somewhere in the forest, and the bees found my student group and attacked furiously, pursuing the students who had to run for more than a kilometer to get away. Girls had their hair filled with bees, students were collapsing on the ground, etc. A full-grown bull was killed near where I live. An employee of our conservation foundation was walking in the forest when she was attacked so badly that shealmost passed out, and narrowly escaped death.
Non-native honeybees are very efficient collectors of resources that native bees also need. In conservation areas (as opposed to agricultural landscapes) of the Americas, even European honeybees have no place, and should be eliminated. This is even more true of the Africanized bees. We are working on ways to safely eliminate them without affecting other species in our reserves.
Lou, Thanks for your comment. I spoke with the presenter and asked her to respond to your comment. She agreed that non-native bees in conservation areas need to be excluded if possible. She also wanted to know how you knew that the aggressive bees that you and your students encounter are indeed "Africanized." You cannot tell by appearance. The only way to tell is through DNA analysis. Jordan told me that some of the most aggressive bees in the Texas A&M apiary are not "Africanized". They have tested the genetics on all of their hives so they know which hives are "Africanized."
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute Thanks for asking her, and Jordan, thanks for your response. Africanized honeybees reached eastern Ecuador very quickly, since there are no geographic barriers to cross. As far as I know, all wild honeybees in eastern Ecuador are Africanized and have been so for a very long time. While Jordan says that some normal honeybees are as agressive as her Africanized bees, when I lived in the US in the 60s ad 70s there were hardly ever reports of unprovoked mass bee attacks on people or animals.Anyway, my point was primarily that Jordan greatly understates the danger posed by Africanized honeybees, as other commenters have also noticed. If she wishes to say that even regular honeybess are so dangerous, well, that's not my experience but I don't really know. What I do know is that Africanized honeybees are deadly, and in my opinion they are the most dangerous thing in our forests, topping poisonous snakes, jaguars, etc. Her solution to "get indoors" is generally impossible.
@@loujost Thanks for the comment Lou. Read Wayne from Africa's comment.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute Wayne's comment is one anecdote about one hive. His experience does not reflect the life-threatening experiences of myself, my field team, and their relatives. See Jan Schwartz' and Roy Hammill's comments below.
American created movies about killer bees and now everybody in USA invented this histories about bees killing. In Brazil the “killer bees” are litteraly a normal bee, not a “killer”. We have no fear of them. Stop create this histories about Africanized bees. Stop been a KID 🙄
Make no mistake AHB are a real danger. When they attack it is an all-hands battle and they do not quit. They will follow you a very long distance and will not simply give up and return to the hive. Occasionally my hives here in south Texas become Africanized. There is no joy in working those hives and the only option is to requeen and endure until the new brood replaces the existing bees. Even with protective gear I have gotten several stings. I have no doubt that without protective gear they will cause serios injury.
How common are they in Texas. Do you know if they are in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area?
For sur and you want to requeen with a bred queen not a cell that may mate with african drones
Great overview of bees! Thanks.
Thanks Claire!
Thanks for the Info!
Right on!
Very informative! Thank you for sharing :)
Awsome job 💪
Thank you! Cheers!
This is informative, thank you! I'd recommend that beekeepers be very proactive and not allow aggressive honeybees to breed, regardless of ancestry. It's so racist, lol.
Sun&Snow - Thank you for the comment. You would be surprised to see the research being done at bee research facilities around the world aimed at what you suggest. To make matters a little more complicated is the fact that bee researchers would like to somehow capture the resistance to Varroa mites that Africanized bees seem to carry.
@@NaturalHistoryInstitute It sounds very possible! It's funny, but I recently posted on NextDoor that I was dealing with some very aggressive honeybees in my compost tumbler. I got a plethora of very emotional replies suggesting that so-and-so pick them up (not to euthanize, but to "save" them). I can tell you, if I so much as breathed any remote allusion to cutting short the life of a honeybee, I would be publicly humiliated and run out of town. It's very hard to talk sense around the "save the bees" rhetoric.
Thank you for sharing this information. I am in Texas and am thinking about establishing a hive. We do have many wild honeybees here - often in colonies in hollow trees - and they seem relatively gentle...though I know that much of our feral population is now Africanized. By chance, is the foraging behavior of Africanized honeybees any different from that of solely European ones? Are they perhaps more aggressive in seeking out food sources?
From what I've read ahb are more likely to forage in all climate situations and more likely to forage solitarily, and prefer to forage during sunrise/sunset (like deer), while EHB forage in little groups and prefer nice weather (mild, sunny days). Hope this helps!
Very intuitive
If you, and they, say that there is no discernible difference between the European bees and so called africanized ones, perhaps there isn't.
You sound a little Camera shy. Still very informative tho.
Great content!
If you take bees out… this does sound good lmao.
Honey Badger? He don't give a shit.... Lol. Sorry, had to. Great presentation 🙂👍
Every time a hive with a "European" honeybee swarm, the virgin queen that replace her is mated openly to drones of unknown genetics. Sometimes those genetics contain Africanized genes. The resulting hybrid is watered down with every successive mating. Just as most queen breeders will admit that their queens are from an Italian breeder queen. the genetics are not ever 100% pure due to open breeding. I submit that the same is true with AHB. They too will be watered down genetically until the dramatic differences will eventually disappear.
Thanks for this video. It's a good rebuttal to the sensationalist garbage on the various documentary channels and the hysterical doom mongering on social media.
Without the same environmental pressures that made African bees aggressive, do you think it likely that the bees currently in the Americas will evolve to lose their aggression in time?
Thank you for your comment. Genetic research at Texas A&M and other universities focuses on your very question along with research focused on "Africanized" bees' resistance to Varoa mite infestations.
Maybe no more hybridizing. Lol
I have just started bee keeping . I was Afraid of our own African bee while thinking on how to get honey bee. So it is probably not in Africa it is lab mistake that you did
Entomology :)
Oops! Thanks. Will fix.
One minor detail: Both African honey bees and European honey bees are "Apis Mellifera". The AHB is a subspecies, Apis m. scutellata. Both are Mellifera, though.
For the love of god, please give her hands something to do while she's presenting.
Thanks for your comment!
Come on! The young lady was clearly nervous. She did a great job stepping out her comfort zone. How about we put you in front of a camera or crowd?
Well, she spent time away from studying and keeping the honeybees in order to share her expertise, so maybe try to be less critical of her.
why don't you talk about the gorilla in the room pesticides and herbicides ,GMO , always talking around the real issues and truth of the impact these products have
William - Thank you for your comment. The negative effect of pesticides on honey bee colonies is a big issue, however it is not the topic of this talk. Maybe I can persuade the researcher to create a different video focused on that topic!