Aggressive Bees in Georgia: Dealing with Africanized Honey Bees

The mild-mannered European honey bee, known for producing honey and pollinating crops, has a more aggressive cousin that has made its way to Georgia – the Africanized honey bee. Compared to European bees, Africanized honey bees are much more defensive and prone to attack in large swarms with little provocation, posing a potential threat to people, pets, and livestock.

The Arrival of Africanized Bees

Africanized honey bees are a hybrid of the European honey bee and the African honey bee. They originated in Brazil in the 1950s when African honey bees were imported for experimental breeding but accidentally escaped quarantine. Since then they have spread northward through South and Central America and arrived in the southern United States in the 1990s.

The first Africanized bee colonies were discovered in Georgia in 2019. It’s believed they migrated from Florida where they were first detected in the early 2000s. Africanized bees continue to move into new territories and have been found as far west as Texas and California.

More Defensive Behavior

European and Africanized honey bees look very similar, but Africanized bees exhibit some key behavioral differences:

• They are quicker to perceive threats and send out attack signals.
• They respond to threats more aggressively, in greater numbers.
• They pursue perceived threats for longer distances – up to a 1/4 mile compared to 50-100 yards for European bees.
• Their swarms contain 2-3 times as many bees.
• They are more likely to repeatedly sting, compared to European bees who are less likely to sting more than once.

A European bee colony may sting a couple times before retreating. But an Africanized colony can continue stinging in a swarming, relentless attack.

The Danger of Mass Stinging

A single bee sting is usually not serious, causing localized pain, swelling and itching. But multiple stings can be life threatening.

When bees sting, they inject venom containing compounds like histamine and dopamine that produce an allergic reaction. A normal reaction causes temporary discomfort at the sting site.

But if enough venom is injected, it can cause:

• Nausea, dizziness, headaches
• Swelling of the face and throat
• Difficulty breathing
• Elevated heart rate, plummeting blood pressure
• Organ failure
• Unconsciousness
• Death

Around 90 Americans die annually from bee, wasp and ant stings. Africanized honey bees are responsible for some of these deaths when people are attacked by swarms of hundreds or thousands of bees. Those most at risk are the elderly, children, and those with allergies.

Protecting Yourself

Here are some tips for staying safe around Africanized honey bees:

• Keep your distance and move slowly if you see them swarming. Don’t swat at them.
• If attacked, run away as fast as you can. Get indoors or into a closed vehicle or shaded area.
• Cover your face as much as possible. Bees target the head and neck.
• Don’t jump into water! Bees will wait for you to surface.
• Remove stingers quickly with a scraping motion to avoid squeezing more venom.
• Seek emergency medical care if you have multiple stings, feel faint, or have trouble breathing.

You can also take measures to discourage bees from nesting on your property:

• Seal openings larger than 1/8 inch in walls, around roofs, chimneys, etc where bees may enter.
• Keep grass mowed and prune bushes and trees so they don’t hide entrance holes.
• Fill small holes and cracks in the ground.
• Clear away piles of material like old logs, bricks and debris that provide nesting sites.

If you spot a bee colony near your home, contact a professional pest control expert to have them safely removed. Do not try to remove them yourself.

While Africanized bees can be frightening, it’s important to remember that bee encounters are still relatively rare, even in areas where they’ve arrived. Being aware and taking proper precautions will allow us to coexist safely with our buzzing neighbors.