Invasion of the Africanized Honey Bees

Africanized honey bees have already invaded much of South and Latin America, and in 2005 they made their way up to Louisiana, Arkansas, and Florida.

The USDA's Agricultural Research Service has done a state-by-state, county-by-county count and determined that for the first time ever, Africanized honey bees have become established in these three states.

The invasion of Florida from the Southwest was not a natural migration. Instead, it was more likely a result of human-assisted transport, such as trucks, ships, railroad cars or other types of transportation.

Usually, human-assisted transport finds are not considered part of Africanized honey bees' spread. But they have been found in 14 counties, and the state of Florida now considers Africanized honey bees to be established there.

Along with providing official identifications of Africanized honey bees, the ARS also provides tips for beekeepers on the best time to requeen hives to reverse Africanization of honey bee colonies. New queens of known genetics should be introduced into hives in the fall to give them the best chance of being accepted by the colony.

--Bjorn Carey

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Credit: Scott Bauer / USDA