Partially Africanized bees found in East Tennessee

Discussion in 'Environment & Conservation' started by Forum4PoliticsBot, Apr 10, 2012.

  1. Forum4PoliticsBot

    Forum4PoliticsBot New Member

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    More information on bees.. These tend to be more aggressive.

    http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/ap...-east/?print=1

    Partially Africanized bees found in East Tennessee

    Colony in Monroe was destroyed

    By Morgan Simmons

    Monday, April 9, 2012

    The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has confirmed the state's first case of partially Africanized honeybees in a bee colony in Monroe County.

    The discovery was confirmed last week after the bee keeper notified a state inspector that his bees were acting aggressively. Samples from the hive were sent to a state laboratory in Florida for genetic testing, and those results showed the bees to be 17 percent Africanized.

    The colony has been destroyed and state agricultural officials now are working with area bee- keepers to monitor their hives for aggressive behavior.

    In addition, officials also will be on the lookout for aggressive behavior among wild bee colonies.

    "Citizens need to be vigilant, but not alarmed," said Mike Studer, state apiarist.

    "This is a situation that can be effectively managed through good beekeeping practices."

    Africanized honeybees are a hybrid of African bees and domestic European honeybees.

    They look the same as European honeybees but are much more defensive of their colonies.

    Their sting is no more potent than a European honeybee, but they attack in greater number, and with less provocation.

    In 2002, Florida had its first positive identification of Africanized honeybees in the Tampa Bay area.

    In 2010, a 73-year-old Georgia man was stung to death by Africanized honeybees after he disturbed a feral colony with a bulldozer.

    The bees have spread throughout much of the southwestern U.S. In the Southeast, they've been reported in Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, and now, Tennessee.

    The Africanized strain is inadvertently spread as bee colonies are transported to pollinate commercial crops such as pecans in California and citrus fruits in Florida.

    "We've been expecting this for some time," Studer said.

    "It's believed that if the Africanized bees reached Tennessee, they wouldn't be able to overwinter, but last winter was exceptionally mild."

    The Monroe County beekeeper purchased the colony last spring from an out-of-state dealer, Studer said.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not consider a honeybee to be truly Africanized unless it is at least 50 percent African.

    And while the Monroe County colony were less than 17 percent Africanized, they still exhibited a high level of aggression that made them dangerous.

    "Eventually there is going to be some level of Africanization in all European colonies in the U.S.," Studer said.

    "As long as they don't have aggressive traits, we're not worried."

    Studer said researchers in Mexico are breeding African bees for reduced aggression.

    "The big worry is someone would have an Africanized colony in their yard and go out there with a weed eater or lawn mower," Studer said. "Those are the kinds of things that set these bees off."

    State officials say the number of registered beekeepers in Tennessee has increased in recent years.

    There are approximately 3,000 registered beekeepers throughout the state who maintain a little more than 18,000 colonies.

    State law requires all beekeepers to register their colonies. This enables the state apiarist to respond to disease problems and to provide free inspections.

    Because Africanized bees tend to colonize in smaller spaces than European honeybees, homeowners should be suspicious if they see honeybees in the ground or small openings such as flower pots or bird houses.

    If you disturb an Africanized honeybee colony, run and cover your head since the bees tend to sting the face and head. Try to take shelter in a vehicle or building, and do not attempt to rescue someone who is being stung without the proper protective gear.

    For more information on the Tennessee apiary program visit: http://www.TN.gov/agriculture/regulatory/apiary.html.


    Thread started at Forum 4 Politics on 04-10-2012 09:09 AM
     
  2. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Researchers hope the findings will shed light on how honey bees develop...
    :rose:
    Honey bees' genetic code unlocked
    11 December 2012 - Researchers say they have unlocked the genetic secrets of honey bees' high sensitivity to environmental change.
     
  3. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    So dat's where alla bees got to...
    :eyepopping:
    Utah cabin had uninvited guests - 60,000 bees
    May. 5,`13 — It was the biggest beehive that that Ogden beekeeper Vic Bachman has ever removed — a dozen feet long, packed inside the eaves of a cabin in Ogden Valley.
     
  4. Vivus

    Vivus New Member

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    "In 2010, a 73-year-old Georgia man was stung to death by Africanized honeybees after he disturbed a feral colony with a bulldozer.

    The bees have spread throughout much of the southwestern U.S. In the Southeast, they've been reported in Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, and now, Tennessee.

    "It's believed that if the Africanized bees reached Tennessee, they wouldn't be able to overwinter, but last winter was exceptionally mild." - from the OP.

    Well, there's nothing for the rest of us to worry about. It's not like temperatures are getting warmer, or anything. :frown:
     
  5. Ramboner

    Ramboner New Member

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    Them critterz are bad to the bone. I've had 3 hives removed in the last year or so. Cost $0.We socialists use our tax pesos on ourselves. The ag. dept. comes with the bomberos(fire dept), suit up and take care of bidness.If they get to wild the bomberos freeze them real quick. They can't winter in a "normal' Tenessee winter. Africanized. Kinda like Tennessees gode toofs crowd wearing a snowmobile suit when it's(B) 50 degrees out.:roll: Id B coder dan uh muffuh ! :wall:
     
  6. Anders Hoveland

    Anders Hoveland Banned

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    This is just a hypothetical line of thought... but what if Africanized bees some day became endangered? Should any attempt be made to ensure their continued survival?
    After all, they are technically in the same species as common honey bees (proved by the fact that they can interbreed).

    I know we are already protecting endangered species. Should we be protecting endangered sub-species also?
     
  7. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Granny says, "Dat's right - here's the latest buzz on bees...
    :grandma:
    Some Plants Produce Caffeine to Draw Bees, Researchers Say
    November 17, 2015 - Researchers in Britain have discovered that certain plants actually produce caffeine to attract bees and help in pollination.
     
  8. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Insecticides are devastating the honeybees’ reproductive abilities...
    :omg:
    What is Killing Honeybees?
    July 29, 2016 - While Polish scientists found that certain pesticides are devastating the honeybees’ immune system, British scientists report insecticides are also devastating the honeybees’ reproductive abilities.
     
  9. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It's all part of cultural-marxism political correctness and diversity.

    If the African bees were have stayed where they are suppose to be, back in Africa there wouldn't be any problems. You wouldn't see American bees acting like gang bangers. Next will be bee on bee attacks.
     
  10. tkolter

    tkolter Well-Known Member

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    The problem is we need bees and these colonies are far more robust and produce more honey than European bees so we may need them. So why not learn to domesticate and live with them. In SA farmers smoke the hives before working near them with machines and people to temper them and it seems to work when they are in domestic hives all one needs to do is be a bit more careful. No need to be paranoid properly managed humans can work around them and they can work for us they away from their hive they are not dangerous they collect honey and pollinate like any other bee and are good at it.
     
  11. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    All honey bees are not where they are supposed to be. They are not native to North America. Europeans brought the European strain of honey bee with them.
     
  12. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What kind of bees were occupying North America before the European bees went Manifest Destiny ?

    Bees are in the pollination business.
     
  13. MRogersNhood

    MRogersNhood Banned

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    Newsflash Einstein:The Africanized bees are the kind that can't be domesticated.
    I got hit by 50+ before and I say kill them all.
    Tell you what,since it's your Idea:Breed them at your home.If they come here I'll be going out at night with a can of Raid.
     
  14. ThirdTerm

    ThirdTerm Well-Known Member

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    African honey bees, Apis mellifera scutellata were imported into Brazil in 1957. The purpose was to introduce genetic material from the tropically adapted African bees into the resident European bees, thereby creating a bee better suited for a tropical environment. During that time, several African queen bees were released accidentally. Their descendants quickly established a large feral population, which had not existed in South America previously. The success of the African honey bee as compared to that of the European bee demonstrates superior adaptation to the tropical environment. Over the next four decades, the wild African honey bee population expanded into most of the tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas. African bees entered south Texas in the early 1990s and since have disbursed throughout several southwestern states. The first documentation of African bees in the state of Florida came in 2001 near the Port of Tampa. By 2003 African bees had established colonies in and around the Tampa area and since have spread throughout the state, hybridizing with local European honey bee populations.

    The African honey bee defends its nest far more intensely than does the European honey bee. The African honey bee responds quickly to disturbances by people or animals, sometimes in excess of 50 feet from the nest. African honey bees can chase a human or animal up to a mile or more. Their defensive behavior is an evolutionary response to their many biological competitors, including honey badgers, bee eaters, and even humans, in their native range.

    In contrast, the European honey bee population has been selected by beekeepers for manageable traits (gentleness, reduced swarming, high honey production). Consequently, the European bee is gentler and expresses more predictable behavior than does the African honey bee, though colonies of European honey bees can be very defensive when unexpectedly disturbed.

    http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg113
     
  15. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    Not honey bees.
    http://bugguide.net/node/view/475348

    - - - Updated - - -

    No worry about bees (or wasps or hornets or yellow jackets) at night. They go back to their hive. You must know almost nothing about bees.
     
  16. MRogersNhood

    MRogersNhood Banned

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    Ahem,that's why I'll be going to their hive with a can of Raid at night. :icon_fork:
    So,when are you going to start your Africanized Bee colony?
     
  17. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Your question has been answered, but just wanted to add that there is a strain of Russian honeybees that could be imported to the US to replace the current commercial honey bees which bees are resistant to many o fthe issues confronting the current ones, but the US more or less makes it impossible to bring them in. Since most of the commercial hives originate from a limited stock, I suspect the lack of genetic diversity is at play anyway, so bringing in the russian bees may not be such a bad idea.
     
  18. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Don't see it ever happening if Hillary is in the White House. :smile:
     
  19. Deckel

    Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Of course not. She will reward one of her donors with a contract to build drone bees controlled by the air force to pollinate crops and gather intelligence on all those red state farmers who opposed her. Hillary Milhous Rodham Nixon will be a presidency for the ages.
     
  20. APACHERAT

    APACHERAT Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The UAV bees were in the works until Obama diverted the funds for some social engineering experiment.
     
  21. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

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    Really?

    In a 30 second internet source, I found several links to buy Russian strain honeybees. Hardly being blocked.....

    http://www.revisrussians.com/
    http://www.russianbee.com/russians.htm

    - - - Updated - - -

    Well, if the Russian bee sellers give enough to the Clinton foundation.
     
  22. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Beekeepers with aggressive bees, possibly africanized

    Africanized bees are apparently in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.


    Euthanizing of a dangerous hive. nwnjba, June 10, 2020


    These are honeybees but they interbred with African bees and now have some African DNA.
     

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