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FAQ's About Africanized Honey Bees
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| Q - Are Africanized Honey Bees in
Georgia
? |
| A - As of November 2008, No. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Florida Department of Agriculture has swarm traps along the Georgia/Florida border that are regularly checked for AHB's. |
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Q – Are Africanized Honey Bees and the Killer Bee the same thing?
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| A – The short answer is yes. People who are familiar with honey bees call them Africanized Honey Bees because that’s what they are, a hybrid of the African Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera Scutellata). They became dubbed "killer bees" by
Hollywood
movies and poor news coverage. Since 1990 when the Africanized Honey Bee entered the
United States
there have only been about 16 human deaths due to the defensive nature of these bees. Not what I would consider “killer” by a long shot. |
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| Q - When do we expect the AHB to arrive in
Georgia
? |
| A - It could be as early as this summer, (2008) but most predictions place their arrival in
South Georgia
around 2009-2010. |
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| Q - How far North will the AHB's go? |
| A - We are dealing with a new species entering a new environment. While we are not 100% sure how far north the AHB will migrate, we are confidant that they will at least reach the
Atlanta
area. |
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| Q - How can I tell AHB's from the regular honey bees? |
| A - Only DNA testing can determine what type of bee they are. Not even experience beekeepers can tell by just looking. |
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| Q- Is the venom from an Africanized honey bee more poisonous than that of a regular honey bee? |
| A- No, the venom from both honey bees is chemically the same. And, because the Africanized honey bee is slightly smaller than the regular honey bee, it actually has slightly less venom. |
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| Q - What's the difference between a honey bee colony and a swarm? |
| A - A colony is a established hive of bees that are raising brood, foraging, and will defend their home. |
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| Q - I have a swarm of bees hanging in/on my (yard, tree, porch, lamppost, etc.). I'm afraid they are going to attack my family and pets, what should I do? |
| A- Swarms of bees is a phenomena that is most likely seen in the spring and fall each year. Swarms develop when a hive gets too full or crowded. The bees in the old hive make a new queen and she flies off with about half of the bees of the colony to find a new place to live. The swarm lands on something that will enable them to stay huddled together while a few scout bees fly on to try to locate a suitable place to build a new hive. Since a swarm does not have a hive to protect they are generally docile and rarely sting. You should treat them like any other wild animal...leave them alone! Do NOT spray them with water or poison. Do NOT throw anything at them. Call a beekeeper in your area to pick them up. If you cant find a beekeeper leave the bees alone and stay away from them, a swarm is looking for a new home, and will generally leave in less than 24 hours. |
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