Latest news with #Africanized
Miami Herald
17 hours ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Swarm of ‘defensive' bees spotted in Alabama, officials say. How to stay safe
A wild group of Africanized honeybees, known as killer bees due to their defensive behavior, was collected by beekeepers in Alabama, officials said. The bees were found in Barbour County and humanely euthanized to protect the state's other honeybee populations, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries said in a June 30 news release. 'There is no reason for public concern at this time, but we are treating this situation seriously,' Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries Rick Pate said in the release. 'Our team is actively collaborating with local beekeepers and entomology experts to ensure swift detection and appropriate response.' Officials said they put traps within a five-mile radius of where the bees were originally found to further monitor bee populations. Barbour County borders Georgia and is about an 80-mile drive southeast from Montgomery. What are Africanized honeybees? A crossbreed of African and European honeybees, Africanized honeybees are known for their 'more defensive behavior,' according to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. These types of bees swarm more often, nest in more locations and respond in higher numbers when provoked, officials said. 'If I'm working around one of my European honey bee colonies and I knock on it with a hammer, it might send out five to 10 individuals to see what's going on. They would follow me perhaps as far as my house and I might get stung once,' Jamie Ellis, a professor of honey bee research at the University of Florida, told USA Today. With an Africanized colony, however, 50 to 100 individuals would be sent out in response to the same thing, and they'd follow him further and sting him more, Ellis told the outlet. An encounter with a swarm of Africanized honeybees can produce more stings, making them more deadly in some cases, according to experts. Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 72 deaths per year came from hornets, wasps and bee stings, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What to do if you encounter an Africanized honeybee According to guidance from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and The University of Florida, if you see a bee or a swarm you should: Stay away. Don't bother or remove bee colonies or any 'aggressive bee behavior' to officials. Don't swat at the the area right away. 'Cover your nose and mouth with your shirt.' Seek shelter in a building or go near a victim to help, stand away and tell them to leave. What to do if you're stung by a bee The University of Florida advises a person do the following if they are stung by a bee: Scrape the stingers out with a blunt object, like a fingernail or credit the sting with soap and the sting to stop the for signs of allergic reaction, including hives, difficulty breathing and you have an allergic reaction, contact emergency personnel.
New York Post
18 hours ago
- General
- New York Post
Invasive swarm of killer bees put millions in Southeast on alert after officials take precautionary action
Officials in Alabama say they euthanized a feral swarm of Africanized honeybees, also known as 'killer bees,' and precautions are now being made in an attempt to protect communities in the area and the local honeybee population. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADIA) said on Monday that the swarm was found in Barbour County by local beekeepers, close to the Alabama-Georgia state line in the Southeast. Advertisement The ADIA said that as a precaution, targeted monitoring efforts are now underway to assess and contain the presence of Africanized honeybees. Those precautions include deploying traps within a 5-mile radius of where the killer bees were found to attempt any additional activity. Those efforts, the ADIA said, are part of the ongoing commitment to safeguard pollinators and to support local beekeepers. 'There is no reason for public concern at this time, but we are treating this situation seriously,' Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate said in a news release. Advertisement 'Our team is actively collaborating with local beekeepers and entomology experts to ensure swift detection and appropriate response.' Alabama officials from the Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADIA) have euthanized a feral swarm of Africanized honeybees. WALA FOX 10 News Pate went on to say that protecting the health of local communities and Alabama's honeybee population remains a top priority. Local beekeepers are also being contacted and being provided with guidance on how to recognize and manage the Africanized honeybees. Advertisement According to the ADIA, Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of African and European honeybees. However, while they share many physical characteristics, the Africanized honeybees exhibit a more defensive behavior, especially when they are protecting their colonies. The insects, also known as 'killer bees,' were found in Barbour County by local beekeepers as the ADIA said they took this measure to contain the presence of the bees in the area. Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries / FOX Weather In fact, officials said the killer bees may swarm more frequently and nest in a wider variety of locations, including inside utility boxes, debris piles and underground. Advertisement The ADIA said that honeybees, whether Africanized or European, do not pose a threat unless they are provoked. However, if they do go on the defense, Africanized honeybees may pursue their threat farther than European honeybees, up to a mile in some cases. Officials are urging residents in the area to stay safe and not to disturb or try to remove any bee colonies or swarms, and to report any unusually aggressive bee behavior to the ADIA immediately. Beekeepers are also being asked to remain vigilant and to report any changes to their colonies or if they suspect Africanized honeybees are in the area.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Killer bees' found in 13 states are on the move. Could they come to New Jersey?
In recent days, you may have seen some unnerving headlines about "killer bees" making their way across the United States. As reported by USA TODAY, several incidents involving these bees have taken place over the last three months alone. In Texas, for example, three people were taken to the hospital after disturbing a colony with tree trimmers. Hikers in Arizona ran a mile to get away from an agitated cloud of bees. In April, a Texas man died after being attacked by a swarm of bees while mowing his lawn. Africanized honey bees, often called "killer bees," are currently found in several states across the country, primarily in the South. Per USA TODAY, they first made headlines in the 1990s when they began to appear in the United States, leading to alarming news articles and a surge of horror films. Notorious for their temperament, Africanized honey bees are known to quickly defend their hives and pursue intruders across longer distances than the more docile and common European honey bee, according to Clemson University. In the coming decades, scientists believe that warming temperatures due to climate change may allow these bees to move further north. Honey bees are not native to the Americas. According to the University of Georgia, most of the bees we see today are descendants of bees brought here by European settlers beginning in the 1600s. While European bees fared well in North America, they were not as well adapted to tropical and subtropical Latin America. So, in 1956, researchers imported honey bees from Africa to Brazil in an effort to improve beekeeping in the tropics. Per the University of Georgia, the African bees were well suited to the conditions in Brazil and began to colonize in South America, eventually hybridizing with European bees and leading to what we now call "Africanized" honey bees. The bees eventually began to move north. Today, every country in Latin America has established populations of Africanized honey bees except Chile. The first natural colony of Africanized honey bees in the U.S. was found in 1990 near Hidalgo, Texas. By 1993, according to the National Park Service, Africanized honey bees had made their way into Arizona. Africanized honey bees have established themselves in 13 states, USA TODAY reported. These states include California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. New Jersey's temperate climate may spare us from these killer bees as researchers say they do not survive in areas with cold winters. According to the University of Georgia, the bees' tropical adaptations are less advantageous in more temperate areas with cold weather limiting their defensiveness and overwintering capacities. In South America, the bees do not overwinter south of 34 degrees S latitude, according to UGA. This corresponds roughly to Atlanta, Georgia. However, it is important to note that Africanized bees are found north of this latitude in the western United States. Juliana Rangel, a professor of apiculture (beekeeping) at Texas A&M University told USA TODAY that, with increasing temperatures, these bees will likely move northward in the Western half of the country by 2050. The Garden State is currently home to about 350 species of native pollinating bees, according to the DEP. Some of the state's other insect pollinators include butterflies, moths, wasps and beetles. Although they play a very important role, many of these species are in decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation as well as from introduced parasites and pathogens, the DEP says. To learn more, including information about what you can do to help pollinators in the Garden State, visit This article originally appeared on Killer bees in NJ: How likely after bees found in 13 states?
7 days ago
Killer Africanized honey bee spreading across the US and appear to advance north
Swarms of aggressive killer bees are on the move and spreading across the U.S. The Africanized honey bee has been found in 13 states, primarily in the South, but appear to be moving north.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Climate change spurs killer bees' advance across U.S.
Africanized "killer bees" are rapidly spreading across 13 southern U.S. states, including California, Arizona, Florida, and Alabama. Their northward migration is fueled by climate change, with experts predicting further spread, particularly in the western U.S., by 2050. These aggressive hybrids are known for launching massive swarm attacks, delivering thousands of stings, and chasing victims for nearly a mile. Recent incidents include a 75-year-old Texas man killed last year and a 20-year-old Ohio man surviving 20,000 stings after being placed in a medically induced coma. If encountered, individuals should immediately run away from the area, cover their face, and seek shelter in a building or vehicle.
