Biologist Warwick E. Kerr interbred honeybees from Europe and southern Africa to create the Africanized honeybee. In 1957, the hybrid bee was accidentally released in Brazil by a replacement beekeeper. Since then, the Africanized honeybee has invaded the US and earned the debated nickname of "killer bee". Their aggressive protective behavior has instilled a fear in humans and contributed to their alias.
Africanized Honeybees aremoving north at a rate of100 - 300 miles per year.
A total of 2,460,000 Honeybee colonies in the United States- 2007
2005-20102000-20051995-20001990-1995
FATAL53ATTACKSAverage Per Year* all bee types
An Africanized Honeybeeis 10 times more likely toinitiate an attack or sting.
European and Africanized Honeybees can only be distinguished by molecular or morphometric analysis.
FACT: Africanized Honeybees follow victims up to 440 yards, while European Honeybees follow for only 50 yards.
<a title="Africanized Honeybee Infographic" href="http://www.propacificbee.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.propacificbee.com/infographic/AHB/infographic-bee.jpg" alt="Africanized Honeybee Infographic" width="900" height="1650" border="0"></a>
