Africanized Honeybee A fact sheet by the Kansas Department of Agriculture 109 SW 9th Street, Topeka, KS 66612 • (785) 296-3556 • www.ksda.gov a Honeybees are Important Is one sting from an inch mesh hardware cloth and cut it to fit existing e S f Most honeybees in Kansas are descended Africanized honeybee deadly? vent screens. You also should remove junk e e from the European variety, and they are No. One sting is no more or less painful piles, upturned pots, old equipment, or any ! extremely beneficial. They pollinate fruit, or dangerous than a sting from any other item that could offer a sheltered home for . B vegetable, flower and seed crops, as well as honeybee. The venom from the two types of forage crops like alfalfa and clover. They also honeybees is almost identical, but Africanized

What should I do if I think I’ve found

produce , wax and other products. honeybees sting in greater numbers with less

Africanized honeybees in my area?

One-third of our diet comes from crops provocation than the European honeybees we

If you see a large number of bees in a

B pollinated by honeybees. Each year, are used to in the .

! given area, see bees , or hear

e honeybees add more than $10 billion to the How many times can an

e loud buzzing coming from an enclosed e f value of more than 90 crops grown in the Africanized honeybee sting? S a area, DO NOT approach the bees or United States. Like all honeybees, the Africanized attempt to destroy the colony yourself. What are Africanized honeybees? honeybee can sting only once. They leave What you can DO is call: Africanized honeybees are the same the stinger in the wound with a tiny venom sac • the Kansas Department of species as the European honeybee used attached, and they die shortly after delivering Agriculture at (785) 862-2180, or to produce honey and pollinate crops, but a sting. • your county’s K-State Research and a different subspecies. They are called Are Africanized honeybees Extension office. Africanized honeybees because they are in Kansas? What should I do if I’m attacked thought to be the result of interbreeding Under normal conditions, Africanized by a swarm of bees? between European bees and bees from Africa honeybees move northward about 100 miles to • Run away as fast as possible. Get inadvertently released in in the 1950s. 300 miles a year. They have spread throughout into a building or vehicle if you can. Recent research indicates the African traits are most of Mexico, southern , , Do not try to hide in water or thick more dominant, so the bees are not likely to , California, , and brush. become more gentle from interbreeding with Oklahoma. They have been detected two • Try to cover your face and head as other subspecies. counties south of Kansas in Oklahoma. They you run. Stings to the head and Why should I be concerned could arrive in Kansas as early as 2006. face pose the greatest danger. Use about the Africanized honeybee? Will I recognize Africanized honeybees a towel or shirt to protect yourself. The Africanized honeybee can be extremely if they come to my area? • Scrape (do not pull) stingers from aggressive when defending its colony. At any If you see honeybees now, you will skin as soon as possible. perceived threat, the Africanized honeybee probably see Africanized honeybees if they • Wash stung areas with soap and can swarm out of the colony and attack. A move into your area. The common sighting water, and apply a cold compress person walking within 50 feet of a colony can is to see a swarm of bees as they look for a to reduce pain and swelling. trigger an attack. Operating power tools or new home. However, it is impossible for the • Seek medical attention if you feel lawn equipment as far as 100 feet from a hive average person to distinguish an Africanized sick, breathing is difficult, you are can trigger an attack. It’s not unheard of for honeybee from a European honeybee. having an allergic reaction, or if you a swarm of Africanized honeybees to chase a Africanized honeybees are less discriminating have been stung many times. victim up to a half mile. when it comes to nesting sites. They build nests • If the situation is life-threatening, Are Africanized honeybees the “killer bees” in the ground, in cavities in trees or buildings, call 911. I’ve seen on the news and in movies? under bridges, and in utility boxes, if they can Yes and no. The two names do refer to find a hole through which to enter. the same bee, but the term “killer bee” is a Can I make my property bee proof? This fact sheet was prepared by the name Hollywood made famous. However, You can seal all cracks and holes larger than Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Plant because of their extremely aggressive nature, one-eighth inch that lead into a wall void, attic or Protection and Weed Control Program, a swarm of Africanized honeybees is likely to subarea. You can use stucco patch, caulking Forbes Field, Building 282, P.O. Box 19282, deliver more stings than a swarm of European or screen. Most vent screens are a one-quarter Topeka, KS 66619-0282, (785) 862-2180. honeybees. inch mesh, but you can purchase one-eighth Visit us on the web at www.ksda.gov.