Africanized+Hoeny+Bee+-+Trevor


 * Africanized Honey Bees

General Information ** // Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) are a hybrid of several different species of European bees. Scientifically named Apis mellifera scutellata //, AHB look virtually identical to their European counterparts. The appearance of AHB is a brownish exterior. These insects have recently been causing problems to the environments around them; traveling in large swarms and creating a general hazard to the public. These little pests migrated from South America north, eventually breaking the American-Mexican plane. Most of the AHB dwell in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas and have generally been found to flourish in warmer climates. ** Detailed Description ** The most noticeable difference between AHB and the EHB (European Honey Bees) is the aggressiveness. The sting of the AHB is more poisonous and the overall attitude of the bee makes it more likely to attack unprovoked. In addition to honey production from the hives of AHB, the bees affect the agriculture of multiple Southwestern states. This extreme desire for protection fuels the belligerence of the AHB. These bees reproduce when the queen lays her eggs in the cells of the comb. The larva typically hatch in 3 or 4 days and are fed by the worker honey bees in the colony. The worker bees gather both pollen and nectar from flower to feed the larvae. The AHB out-compete other species of bees as well as the other insects in the surrounding environment because of their overall aggressiveness. They vie for food resources and ultimately triumph due to their extreme devotion to the colony.

Life Cycle: -Egg -Larva -Pupil -Bee

** Habitat: ** As mentioned earlier, the AHB originated in South America and can most accurately be traced back to Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela. The AHB make their homes in nests and travel in swarms. They generally construct their nests close to or in the ground. The Africanized Honey Bees originated from an area with a warm climate and are slowly evolving to be able to tolerate cooler conditions (migrating north).
 * Habitat and Distribution **

The AHB species can be considered invasive because of its migratory characteristics. Invading the hives of other species of bees, the AHB kill the current queen and establish their own. As of 2003, the AHB have spread to these states: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and California. But almost surely the invasive species has migrated even further northward.
 * Distribution: **

 The impact of the Africanized Honey Bee species is definitely negative. AHB really only benefit the ecosystem by the pollination process in which they partake. This invasive species is detrimental on a large scale to the human species (will explain later). Africanized Honey Bees haven’t been known to regularly mate with any native species but hybridization is always something that is possible when an invasive species is introduced.
 * Impacts **
 * Impacts on Ecosystem: **

 The most evident affect of Africanized Honey Bees is the harm felt by humans. The aggressiveness of the bees results in hundreds of attacks each year. AHB, also called //Killer Bees//, can actually kill a human with a relatively low amount of stings. Commonly killing the elderly or young children, it can take less than a hundred stings from a swarm of AHB to cause death. This particular species of bee can pursue a human for up to a quarter of a mile in hopes of defending its nest.
 * Impacts on Humans: **

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State governments in the southwest spend millions of dollar annually in an effort to diminish AHB growth. It’s hard to accurately estimate how much money is invested into AHB prevention each year; we can only speculate. What can be traced is the expansion of Africanized Honey Bees northward into the United States. Extermination of AHB is impossible, but this issue is starting to be more seriously addressed.
 * Control Measures **

 "AHB Facts." //University// //of California, Riverside//. N.p., 3 Aug. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. .
 * Works Cited **
 * Sites **

"Africanized Honeybee." //National Invasive Species Information Species//. USDA National Agriculture Library, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. . <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; msobidifontstyle: italic;"> "Africanized Honey Bees." //USDA-ARS// //Bee Research Center//. USDA Agricultural Research Center, 29 June 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=11059>. <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; msobidifontstyle: italic;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; msobidifontstyle: italic;">http://honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/New_Bee_Map.jpg <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; msobidifontstyle: italic; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; msobidifontstyle: italic;">http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00946/pic_used/honeybee.jpg
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; msobidifontstyle: italic;">Pictures/Videos **

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7kKqgPEGs&feature=fvsr