'Killer' Bees Not So Murderous, Experts Say
By Mick Kulikowski, News Services
Africanized honey bees get a bad rap, say Drs. David Tarpy and Christina Grozinger, NC State bee experts.
Known colloquially as "killer" bees, Africanized bees display increased defensive behavior when compared with their European honey bee cousins. Africanized bees consider their nests sacrosanct, so they'll respond and sting faster and in greater numbers when defending their homes.
But the "killer" moniker is sensationalized, Tarpy says.
"Their sting is no more potent or painful than that of a European honey bee," Tarpy says. "There have been 19 confirmed fatalities from Africanized bee stings in the United States in the past 17 years, so the actual risk of dying from an Africanized bee sting is very insignificant. You're more likely to die from a dog bite or lightning strike than from Africanized bees."
Away from the nest, he says, Africanized honey bees are no more likely to sting than European bees. And they can sting only one time, as they die after they sting.
Africanized bees actually have a beneficial trait, Grozinger adds: They're more resistant to varroa mites, one of the major bee killers. Studying Africanized bee genes might provide clues on how to breed more resistant traits in European bees, she says.
Africanized bees were first detected in the United States in 1990, in south Texas. Since then they have slowly pushed northward, Tarpy says.
Africanized bees have been detected in Florida, so it's fairly certain that they'll reach North Carolina at some point, the entomologists say.
But the NC State experts want to take the general public's collective finger off the panic button. Prevention and control techniques can reduce the problems Africanized bees pose.
Africanized bees live in structures or cavities, so preventing a nesting place for bees - keeping it "bee-proof" - is probably the most important tip for homeowners. If unwelcome bees are spotted, homeowners should leave them alone and call a professional pest control operator.