Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Extermination

Africanized Honey Bees (killer bees) are descendants of southern African bees imported in 1956 by a prominent Brazilian geneticist, Warwick Kerr, attempting to breed a honey bee better adapted to the South American tropics.

He thought that there was a possibility of producing a new breed of bees that would be less defensive than wild African bees, but more productive than European bees.

As the story was told by Kerr, a local beekeeper noticed the queen excluders were removed (only used in the time queen begin laying eggs).

Phoenix Bee Control and Treatment

This allowed 26 African queens to escape with small swarms into nearby forests.

When some of these bees escaped quarantine in 1957, they began breeding with local Brazilian honey bees, quickly multiplying and extended their range throughout South and Central America at a rate greater than 200 miles per year.

In the past decade, Africanized honey bees began invading North America.

Africanized-honey bees were first found in Arizona in 1993.

Today, most all of the bees in Maricopa County are considered Africanized-killer bees. Africanized killer bees look just like the European honey bees that we have known for so long.

What is different, however, is the aggressiveness they display in defending their hive or colony, which they change several times each year.

Africanized bees do not tolerate any attempts against their security without providing a quick, effective response.

Africanized honey bees are less selective about what they call home.

They occupy smaller areas than the European honey bee.

Protect Yourself From Any Kind of Bee

Found in	Nesting Habits	Proactive Safety Measures:
water meter boxes holes in structures house eaves junk piles and even in an empty soda pop can. Just because they live in little areas, does not mean that their territory is small. Pest control bees best advise is keeping a distance of 100 ft is a best distance to keep from bees; however the best advice is that if you spot a bee hive, backing away from the hive.	Africanized Killer Bees nest in a variety of places including hollow trees walls porches sheds attics utility boxes garbage containers, trash piles abandoned vehicles Nesting habits cannot be accurately predicted.	Bee attacks cannot be prevented but taking the following actions can minimize them: Vigilance (don't leave unnecessary items where bees can nest lying in your yard or surrounding areas) Have your building or home professionally sealed by a team of our Service Specialists to prevent bees from nesting in wall cracks, attics, and other potentially attractive sites Africanized Honey Bees