Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!mmm From: mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Killer bee invasion? Message-ID: <34370@cup.portal.com> Date: 29 Sep 90 05:46:53 GMT References: Organization: The Portal System (TM) Lines: 15 Technically speaking, they are not African bees but Brazilian bees, i.e. a hybrid produced as a result of the accidental release of some African queens. (hmm... good name for a movie) None of these bees are more than 50% African. Principal differences from European bees is a larger honey sac, greater honey productivity, a tendency to kill the queen when the hive is disturbed (makes beekeeping more difficult), and a tendency to send swarms of defenders against an intruder. Virtually all deaths caused by the stings of European honeybees are the result of an allergic reaction. There are a small number of people who are so allergic they can die from a single sting. Deaths in Africa and South America, however, are often caused by the swarming behavior. Someone who accidently upsets a beehive typically gets hundreds of bee stings, which can be lethal.