Islamic Britain

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What about the Africanized Honey Bee?

The Africanized honey bee (AHB) is a more recent addition to our state. It is known as the more aggressive relative of the European honey bee (EHB). The AHB has taken an interesting path to become established in Southern California.

When EHB's were brought here by colonists, they survived quite well in North America and were good honey producers. However, they did not fare as well in the tropical climate of South America. This habitat was very different than Europe where the EHB's evolved.

Honey bees from Africa thrive in tropical climates. These bees are also very aggressive in their defensive behavior. In 1956, African honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) were imported from Tanzania (Africa) to Brazil (South America) as a way to increase honey production.

It was THOUGHT that by cross-breeding the African honey bees with the EHBs, they could produce a bee that would thrive in the tropics like the African honey bee but with the more docile nature of the EHB.

UNORTUNATELY, they were unable to produce a mix that was easy for beekeepers to work with and still do well in the tropics. All the Hybrid Bees Retained the African Bees Aggressive Behavior.
This mix between the African honey bee and EHB was labeled the "Africanized honey bee" (AHB).

In 1957, these AHBs escaped from an apiary near Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and have spread northward ever since. Not only does this hybrid bee spread through swarming, it also interbreeds with EHBs in new areas.
The offspring of these bees are also considered "Africanized" and the Less Aggressive EHBs Gradually Disappear.

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http://www.lawestvector.org/beebiology.htm