Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you get stung? Does it hurt?
Yes, I get stung a lot. But I'm used to it. And there is no difference in stinger or venom of Africanized or European bees, only the number of times you are likely to get stung.
2. I've heard something about bees dying for no reason. Why do you have to destroy the bees?
Colony Collapse Disorder is a serious phenomenon that is being studied. However the Arkansas State Plant Board has asked that all unmangaged bee colonies be destroyed to combat the spread of Africanized bees. Africanized bees have already been confirmed in at least 3 counties in Arkansas and suspected in at least 30 more.
3. What is the scientific name for Africanized honeybees and can they mate with other honeybees?
The Africanized Honeybee is a hybrid of a strain of honeybees from Africa, Apis mellifera scutellata, and basicaly any other honeybee that it can mate with and produce viable off-spring. In the United States this could be Apis mellifera ligustica (Italian honeybee), Apis mellifera carnica (Carniolian honeybee), Apis mellifera caucasica (Caucasian honeybee), and Apis mellifera mellifera (Dark honeybee).
4. There are bees building a hive near our home. We walk past their hive a lot and them seem very calm and not dangerous at all, so they probably are not the Africanized honeybees, right?
While bees are building a hive, they are not likely to sting. That is because they are busy building the home and do not have anything in it that they feel they must defend. Typically, honeybees only sting when they feel that something is threatening their baby bees and honey. So, until the hive is built and full, the honeybees will seem very docile or calm. That is true of both regular European honeybees and Africanized honeybees. The only way to find out if honeybees are European or Africanized is to have a sample analyzed. But you should go ahead and have a trained individual remove the hive that is under construction before the bees set up house and become defensive.
5. We recently found out that bees are living in the wall of our garage and want them removed. Can we kill them by spraying the hole where they enter or is there a better way?
No, simply spraying the hole of an entryway into any hive will not kill all the insects that are inside. Call a qualified individual who is knowledgeable about bee removal for assistance.
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