Africanized ‘Killer Bees’ Discovered In East Bay For First Time

Researchers have reported that killer bees have been spotted for the first time in East Bay.

The Africanized honeybee is a hybrid of the European bee and the African bee.

The scientists had been following the bees’ movement throughout California, ever since they arrived here in 1994.

Dan Batz, a member of the Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association who handled several hundred hives over the years, said he has not seen any telltale signs of the Africanized honeybees.

If swarmed, Kohn advises to run and keep running as the killer bees will pursue you longer than other honey bees.

While it is true that the killer bees derive their caution-raising name from their aggressive and deadly nature, UC San Diego biology professor Joshua Kohn points out that they are “no more aggressive than your average European honeybee” when they are out foraging on flowers. While the Southern California trio survived, a Texas man died in May after being stung 4,000 times, although it was unclear if those bees were Africanized. However, according to Kohn, people shouldn’t necessarily feel alarmed, although climate change may make the species more belligerent.

Normally, beehives are perched in trees, or hidden in caves, rocks, or under sheds and chimneys.

Africanized bees can mate with European honey bee populations, and can pass a few of their genes to offspring that may be better suited for a wider range of climates.

They are much more defensive than Western bees, and they tend to attack relentlessly, in large numbers.

People aren’t likely to notice a difference in the appearance of the more aggressive Africanized bees.

Researchers say the bees may have traveled farther north because of recent warmer weather conditions.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that killer bees have been spotted in the city of Lafayette, which is located within Contra Costa County- one of the nine counties composing the Bay Area. However, only one month ago, a construction worker from Riverside was killed and two others were injured in such an attack. But if they do stay, he said, there could be a few benefits. Africanized bees show heightened resistance to diseases, in comparison with their counterparts.