Appearance:
Africanized honey bees (killer bees) have a variety of colors from yellow to black. They are identical to common honeybees in size and coloration. In fact, the only way to distinguish between the two is through DNA testing or microscopic laboratory analysis.
Size:
Approximately ½ and inch in length.
Behavior:
Africanized honey bees are more aggressive than most bees, hence the name “killer bees.” They attack in larger groups, make less honey, and less wax than Honey bees. They hate high pitched sounds and swarm more often than their European cousins (European Honey bees).
Habitat:
In 1957 twenty-six Africanized honey bee queens escaped from an experimental apiary in Brazil, and since have gradually spread northward into the southern US. They are progressing some 100 to 200 miles per year, and have been found in many locations in Florida.
Wild nests are found inside hollow trees and occasionally in caves or cracks in rock formations. In some cases a colony will decide to nest inside an attic, a crawl space, or a wall void in a home.
Health Concerns:
Africanized honey bees are dangerous because they attack intruders in such large numbers. Since their introduction into Brazil, they have killed some 1,000 humans. They react to disturbances ten times faster than European Honey Bees, and will chase a person a quarter of a mile.
Control:
Do you live in Florida and think that this pest may be invading your home or yard? Hulett Environmental Services offers specialty treatments designed to control and eliminate this pest!
