The Story Behind "Killer Bees"

There’s a lot of rumor around how killer bees came to be, but what’s the actual story? Killer bees aka “Africanized bees” are not a natural phenomenon, but rather the result of a science experiment of gone awry. It all started back in the 1950’s when a Brazilian agricultural engineer interbred two vastly different bee species - Apis mellifera ligustica (Italian honeybee) and Apis mellifera scutellata (African honeybee).

Apis mellifera ligustica

This sub species of Apis mellifera is known as the Italian honeybee. It is one of the multiple subspecies that together make up a family of European honeybees - Apis mellifera Linnaeus. Although the bees originated from Africa, they had been selectively bred in Europe over many years, yielding sub species that are calm, docile, and good honey producers. Because of their favorable characteristics, they were transported all over the world for beekeeping endeavors. This includes the USA, where Apis mellifera L. was brought over by colonists in 1622. To this day, European honeybees are still the common choice for beekeepers in the US, with the Italian honeybee used extensively. Still, beekeepers would learn that not all environments are favorable for these bees, as was the case observed by Warwick Kerr in Brazil.

Apis mellifera scutellata

We can’t even hear beekeeper Francis over the wil buzz of these African honeybees!

At the other side of the beekeeping spectrum is Apis mellifera scutellata (The African honeybee), known for their aggressive behavior and fierce attacks. This is the native bee species that we work with in Tanzania! And we can tell you from experience…these bees are no joke. Since their natural environment has far more predators looking to harvest honey, strategic defensive maneuvers enable African bees to better fend off attacks. (NHM, UK). Even without being provoked, African honeybees may rapidly switch into attack mode.

“Victims of A. m. scutellata attacks commonly receive ten times more stings than similar attacks from European bees, and bees respond to disturbances up to ten times faster than European bees” (Ojar, 2002).

An experiment on the loose

After witnessing that European bees were not flourishing in Brazil, scientist Warwick Kerr orchestrated an experiment, the effects of which would spread for many years to come!

“Warwick Kerr brought Apis mellifera scutellata from Africa to South America in 1957 to help revive the failing Brazilian beekeeping industry, which was using various European subspecies of Apis mellifera L., unsuitable for the South American environment. The queens and workers of several colonies were accidentally released, and these aggressive bees hybridized with local colonies. A. m. scutellata has been gradually spreading ever since, causing economic, social, and ecological problems, due to the more agressive behaviour shown by these hybrid bees.” - GISD

Kerr hybridized the two sub species, but the resulting bees inherited the aggression and defensive behaviours of the African bees. They were termed “Africanized bees” and later became popularly known as “killer bees”. These bees, due to their similarities with the African scutellata honeybees, are scientifically recognized as “Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier” (NHM, UK). Although the bees share many characteristics, “Africanized” bees are not to be confused with their predecessors- the African honeybee.

Beekeeping in Tanzania with African Honeybees

Beekeeping in East Africa is wildly different than beekeeping in Europe or the United States. Beekeepers must wear protection even to go near the hives. Additionally, special, thick suits are mandatory in order to prevent bees from entering through small openings or stinging through thin fabric.

While the bees are extremely aggressive, there are also great benefits to working with native African bees. These bees are biologically more resistant to disease and hives are less susceptible to invading insects, such as varroa mites. Since the bees are living in their natural environment, they don’t need to be fed sugar, but rather obtain all of their food from floral sources. Their honey represents a product aligned with its environment - African honeybees producing honey in Africa!

We’re proud to offer you this delicious honey, straight from Tanzania.

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