Environmental impact of killer bees
Killer bees, officially known as Africanized honeybees, represent a genetic strain of honeybees that were introduced to Brazil in 1956. Initially aimed at enhancing honey production, this hybridization resulted in unintended ecological consequences, as these bees are more aggressive and reproduce more frequently than their European counterparts. While they are not more venomous, their aggressive behavior poses significant risks, leading to hundreds of human casualties since their escape from quarantine.
The expansion of Africanized honeybees has been notable, as they have migrated approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) per year across South and Central America, Mexico, and into the southern United States. Their presence has raised concerns for the multimillion-dollar beekeeping industry due to management challenges, as well as potential impacts on native pollinators. Despite the dangers they pose to humans, Africanized honeybees can enhance pollination in agricultural settings and contribute positively to certain ecosystems, particularly in Florida. While eradication efforts are unlikely to succeed, beekeeping practices have adapted to mitigate their impact, and continued research aims to better understand honeybee genetics and behaviors.
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Environmental impact of killer bees
DEFINITION: Aggressive genetic strain of honeybees
The problem of killer bees—the unintended consequence of a failed experiment to produce a hybrid honeybee—is an example of the potential for negative environmental impacts when nonnative organisms are released into the wild.
Killer bees—or, more properly, Africanized honeybees—are a genetic strain of honeybees introduced to Brazil in 1956 in an attempt to hybridize the familiar European honeybee with an African subspecies. Although killer bees are no more venomous than ordinary honeybees, they exhibit lower average honey production, greater dispersal, and more aggressive behavior than their European counterparts. A person who disturbs a hive of Africanized honeybees may be pursued for distances of more than 90 meters (300 feet) by thousands of bees. Each bee stings only once, but an aggravated swarm can inflict a lethal number of stings. While the popular media have exaggerated their danger, killer bees can be as deadly as the name implies. They have caused hundreds of human casualties since 1957, when over twenty swarms escaped quarantine. Most of these victims were trapped or otherwise unable to run away from the bees. In South and Central America, wild bee colonies under bridges or near farm machinery are common sources of attacks. In the United States, where most honeybees are managed in hives, the Africanized bee problem has been less severe though it is still an issue. In the United States, they have been found in New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, and Arizona and have thrived in southern California since the early 2000s.
An individual Africanized honeybee appears so similar to the European type that the two are practically indistinguishable. Most of the differences are behavioral: In addition to their more aggressive nature, Africanized bees reproduce more often, depleting the hive’s food reserves as they send out swarms to establish new colonies. Through frequent swarming, Africanized bees have expanded their range in the Americas by 400 kilometers (250 miles) per year. Because they store less honey and do not cluster for warmth in winter, Africanized bees do not survive in cold climates. Since their introduction to Brazil, they have spread across much of South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southern United States. They have slowed their advance in the southern third of the United States, with the limit of their range fluctuating from year to year, depending on weather patterns.
The Africanized bee problem is a result of the human introduction of a subspecies of honeybees from Africa to South America. Although the original goal was to improve honey harvests in the Tropics, the unintended consequences of this failed experiment stand as a warning against releasing non-native organisms into the wild. Because Africanized traits are dominant, hybridization and subsequent back-crosses produce bees with essentially African characteristics. As a result, the killer bee has not become more docile as its range has expanded.
The difficulty in managing Africanized bees has threatened the multimillion-dollar beekeeping industry in Mexico and the United States. Even more serious is the potential loss of pollination. Because managed bee colonies have replaced native pollinating insects in many agricultural and natural communities, threats to beekeeping represent a global ecological concern.
Despite the challenges they have created for beekeepers, their enhanced pollination helps the environment. Their significant presence in Florida has positively changed the state's ecosystems and enhanced its agriculture. However, the bees remain a danger to human beings.
Eradication of the Africanized bee is unlikely, but steps can be taken to limit its impact. Beekeepers have responded by changing management practices and by maintaining tame varieties for breeding stock. Biologists continue to investigate honeybee genetics, and the public is learning to exercise caution around wild bee colonies.
Bibliography
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