IB1091032 Africanized bees
April 14, 2010, Pages 90-96
1. How many species are there in the genus Apis?
a. one
c. between 14 and 16
b. between 7 and 12
d. between 40 and 60
2. How many races of Apis mellifera are there?
a. one
c. between 30 and 40
b. between 10 and 20
d. between 40 and 60
3. True or false: Apis mellifera, the western honey bee, is native to North America.
4. Why did Native Americans refer to honey bees as “white man’s flies”? They appeared
wherever Europeans made settlements.
5. What happened in the 19th century that made importation of many different honey bee
races possible? Steamship travel sped up the transport of bees which reduced losses
during transportation.
6. What was prohibited by the Honey Bee Act of 1922? The importation of foreign bees.
In 1976 this was expanded to bee eggs and semen.
7. What was Dr. Warwick Kerr’s most famous contribution to apiculture? Imported
African races of honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) to hybrize with the ligustica races.
8. What is the full scientific name of the African honey bee?
a. Apis mellifera adansoni
c. Apis mellifera scutellata
b. Apis mellifera mellifera
d. Apis mellifera carnica
9. When were African bees first introduced into the Western Hemisphere?
a. 1937
c. 1957
b. 1947
d. 1967
10. Is “African bee” an accurate name for Apis mellifera scutellata? No because there are
eleven African races of Apis mellifera.
Is “killer bee” an accurate name for Apis mellifera scutellata? No because they do not
actually attempt to kill vertebrates, they are just more aggressive.
11. True or false: Killer bee venom is substantially more toxic than the venom of Italian
bees.
12. List three ways the African bees differ from most European bees (other than in
aggressiveness) that makes them undesirable from the perspective of beekeepers.
a. They abscond and swarm more frequently
b. They nectar rob
c. They are incredibly aggressive
13. List three ways the African bees differ from most European bees that makes them
desirable from the perspective of beekeepers
a. Very productive (produce 90 kg honey per colony)
b. Forage over a wide range of environmental conditions
c. Utilize ephemeral resources more efficiently
14. What are two methods used to distinguish Africanized bees from European bees?
a. Morphometrics
b. DNA-based genetic differences c. FABIS
15. True or false: The majority of invading honey bees are actually hybrids between
African and European bees rather than pure African bees.
16. The first report of Africanized bees in the U.S. as a result of their northward
movement was in :
a. California
b. New Mexico
c. Texas
d. Florida
17. What factor(s) may be limiting the spread of African bees in the southern US?
They do not form winter clusters, and are not able to survive temperate climates (like the
Northern US)
18. List two things beekeepers are doing to minimize killer bee impacts on agriculture.
a. Requeen colonies often b. Various management changes (more smoke, raise fewer
hives, placing hives further apart).
19. If you’re attacked by a swarm of African bees, which of the following should you do?
a. run in a zigzag pattern to confuse the bees
b. cover your face and eyes even if it means exposing other parts of your body
c. jump into a body of water such as a lake or pond or swimming pool if one is nearby
d. seek shelter in a building and be sure to lock the doors
20. Which of the following is NOT a symptom of anaphylactic shock?
a. mental confusion
b. itchy rash
c. elevated blood pressure
d. throat swelling and difficulty breathing
21. About how many U.S. deaths have been attributed to African bees?
a. 6
b. 16
c. 60
d. 160
22. What currently threatens the existence of A. mellifera in its native South Africa?
a. another subspecies of Apis mellifera
c. small hive beetle
b. parasitic mites
d. pesticide residues
23. How might African bees contribute to the management of elephants in Africa? Nests
of African bees repell elephants.
24. Why is Aethina tumida a concern for U.S. beekeepers? The small hive beetle is a
newer pest of honey bees. They invade hives and are very difficult to get rid of.
25. List three ways colony collapse disorder differed from past “disappearances” of
honey bees: CCD is long-lasting, widespread, has been characterized by lack of dead
bees, and hive robbers. These are not characteristics of past “disapperences.”
26. True or false: Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus is the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder.
27. True or false: African hybrids are less likely to die due to Colony Collapse Disorder.