AFHB on the history channel !!!!!!!!!

[backyard warrior]

I was watching the history channel and they are saying from the scientific studies that the africanized bees are being found in northern areas where the temps get below freezing and the bees seem to be able to survive threw the winters unlike what they had previously thought. It was scary to see that this one day will kill the european bees. What are we going to do with this terrible situation to come if this is the case ????

[AllenF]

Throw enough European genes into the pool to water down the African genes. 

[VolunteerK9]

Yeah I watched that too. Found it interesting to learn that an Africanized Queen hatched a day earlier than a European. Did not know that.

[L Daxon]

If we are talking about the same show I saw on the history channel at 2 a.m. today--Monster Quest--it was interesting but the whole point of the show was to scare you.  They said 1,000 people had been killed by AFHB.  Well if that is 1,000 since 1958, or 1,000 in all of the Americas, then that is not a lot.  That one guy had 400 stings on his back and he lived (but his back looked like h#@@.)

It was a bit scary to watch them pour out of their hive when disturbed.  They did seem fierce.

[AllenF]

A swarm of killer bees is headed this way!

See how deadly killer bees are.   I saw it on tv so its got to be real.

[alfred]

Mwaa ha ha ha Mahahahaha Haa ha ha ba hahahaaaaaa :evil:

[vmmartin]

I saw it last night also. I don't remember seeing any smoke at all. Not discounting the African gene and how rude they can be, but it looked like to me that the guys were trying to get them as aggravated  as possible. i.e. banging on the walls and tearing sheetrock out. I agree that because it was Monster Quest they were trying to get the girls to play it up for the camera. I thought I heard one of the say "work it girl, work it".

[Michael Bush]

There have always been mean bees and nice bees.  There will always be mean bees and nice bees.  If you get mean bees, requeen them.  If you have nice bees, keep them.  There are plenty of beekeepers in Africanized areas who have plenty of nice bees.  There are plenty of beekeepers in non Africanized areas who have mean European bees...

"Frank Lockwood, a resident of Cayuga Co., N Y., sued the defendant, JW Pierson, a neighboring bee-keeper, for the loss of a pair of mules stung to death summer before last, was decided in court yesterday by non-suit."--Gleanings in Bee Culture Volume 32 1904

[Jim134]

"Frank Lockwood, a resident of Cayuga Co., N Y., sued the defendant, JW Pierson, a neighboring bee-keeper, for the loss of a pair of mules stung to death summer before last, was decided in court yesterday by non-suit."--Gleanings in Bee Culture Volume 32 1904

  Most have been africanized bees.  :shock:


    BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[tecumseh]

Backyard warrior writes:
I was watching the history channel and they are saying from the scientific studies that the africanized bees are being found in northern areas where the temps get below freezing and the bees seem to be able to survive threw the winters unlike what they had previously thought. It was scary to see that this one day will kill the european bees.

tecumseh:
I guess the questions should be how far below freezing temperatures and for how long?  since one of the characteristics of the africanized honey bee is their inability to cluster tightly (or tendency to cluster loosely) I suspect not very cold and not for too long a time period.

[backyard warrior]

They said that they found them in northern arizona where the temps go negative twenty at nite and 115 during the day.  they also had the bees in a freezer for a couple of days to see how they were clustering and keeping body temps. The had a temp laser that showed they where keeping their temps around 90 degrees in the cluster

[AllenF]

I bet their genes are getting mixed with enough European stock to move north now.

[backyard warrior]

Thats what they are saying that they are adapting the genes of the european bees so maybe eventually we can take the good traits of both species to make a good bee ??

[tecumseh]

backyard warrior writes:
Thats what they are saying that they are adapting the genes of the european bees so maybe eventually we can take the good traits of both species to make a good bee ??

tecumseh:
if you had read a fairly recent article in the ABJ in regards to the africanized bees you might realize that it appears there is some excellent qualities of the south african bee (at one time the world record for honey collected from one hive).  casually it appears that a great deal of the problem was generated because some 'non beekeeping' academic got in a panic and collected up a bunch of south african bees (queens) after managing to killing a group of queens that had been select for him by one of the south african's best beekeepers. The event suggest why when you do this kind of thing, you do want someone following an establish protocol who is also an experience beekeeper to make the final call.   

steve taber also suggest that the elevation and humidity (in a test in Brazil) radically affected the behavior of the africanized honey bee. 

I would also suggest that if we had been exposed to europe bees prior to the time selection (by us) for workability their defensive behavior might look quite a bit like the african honeybee.

[bee-nuts]

Negative 20 or 20 degrees.  There is a big difference there.  Also this is only overnight, not for months.  The true test is if they can survive months of below freezing around the clock.  Also in that freezer how cold was it.  Did they try 20 below zero, no.  Im pretty sure they would have started dropping like flys. 

AHB used to move 200-300 mile a year.  They have almost halted.  This at least gives us northerners the chance to re-queen the few that make it into the mix.

You also cant tell me with the amount people that go to almonds, Texas, Florida, AZ and other areas for winter, pollination and what not and then come back to the north or go to the north dont bring AHB with them on a regular basis.  It has happened, they have swarmed and they died over winter.  Its simple math.  Here in Wisconsin, many beeks go to Texas for the winter.  Many beeks have operations here and in Texas. 

It has been twenty years since they came across the border.  I fell I have at least twenty more before they may become an issue here.  If we have to we will need to work with Canadians, and the uk for breeder queens and sperm to keep things under control.  Or maybe we can slow down the crossing enough to calm the Africans down.  If we can do the later, we can help all of america. 

Just my opinion.

[AllenF]

I think beekeeepers here are doing a good job in requeening hot hives and proving enough European drones out there to slow them down.   I think that marking your queens may have help in this case.

[backyard warrior]

I hope it all comes out in the wash and things work out for the better :)