Killer Bees
Russell Montoya
Eastern New Mexico University

Killer Bees
Introduction
Many people around the world are familiar with the rap group Wu tang Clan and their nick-name the “killa bees” but people don’t really know much about the bees they are actually named after. The Africanized Honey Bee are the original name given to these bees but they have been deemed with name “killer bees”. The book titled “Killer Bees. The Africanized Honey Bee in the Americas” defines the killer bee as, “crosses of European races of Apis mellifera with the more aggressive African subspecies, A. m. scutellata” (1992). These bees originated in South Africa but in the 1950’s Brazil brought some in for honey production after which swarms escaped and traveled to the Americas and ultimately arrived in North America in 1985. Today they are mostly used for the pollination of honey in the southern states of America.
Cause of Problem The difference between the Africanized honey bee and other bees is their aggressiveness. This causes a problem because these bees tend to attack and express more aggressive behavior than any other bees. Africanized honey bees traits according to Columbia.edu are "a highly defensive nature, responding more quickly and more bees sting, sensing a threat from a person or animas 50 feet or more from their nest, and perusing a perceived enemy ¼ mile or more” (2002). One can see how these bees are perceived different than other bees. Their angry behavior also has many effects on the honey industry, which according to Columbia.edu has an, “annual revenue of $140 million dollars” (2002). While the orchards and field crops associated with the honey industry has, “an annual value of $10 billion dollars” (2002). On top of their aggressiveness, another reason why killer bees are a problem is the fact that they are constantly looking for new habitats and they are not particularly concerned with their nesting sites. They very rarely move one by one. They travel in swarms. As these bees look for new habitats they encounter more and more humans which make them a bigger and bigger problem as they continue to forage into new areas because humans are not used to interacting with them.
Evidence
There are many recorded cases were these killer bees have attacked humans and have severally injured them and in some cases even killed. One of the most recent cases of a killer bee attack was on October 8, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. According to the Huffington Post, “One man was killed and four others injured after being attacked by a swarm of about 800,000 bees” (2014). According to reports these four men were doing yard work when they encountered these bees. Also, according to the Huffington Post, “One man, 32, was stung more than 100 times and went into cardiac arrest” (2012). This man later died. This is clear evidence how dangerous these bees are and that these bees do not only travel in swarms but they also have migrated all the way up to the southern states of America since the 1950’s, when they were first introduced to South America. Evidence that these bees are migrating more north and causing problems in the United States is also evident. When analyzing this map one can see not only the presence of these bees but also the habitats in the United States that are suitable to sustain the life of these bees. Killer bees are originally from Africa, then they made their way to North America in 1985. When looking at the suitable habitats for these bees and then looking at where they are currently present, one can see that the suitable habitats out numbers where the bees are located. So what can be concluded about that? Well since these bees travel in swarms and are always on the move one can conclude that these bees will continue to move north into states like South and North Carolina, Virginia, and all along the west coast up to Oregon. Surely the citizens in these states don’t know how to deal with these bees and they will continue to cause problems.
Policies/Laws
As these bees cause more problems and migrate north policies need to be put into place just in case someone comes in contact with these bees and they are unaware of what to do. Take for example, The United States Department of Agriculture’s policy on preparing schools for encounters with these bees. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture there is 6 steps in this process, which are the following: 1. Designate a school monitor to walk around school grounds daily to look for Africanized honey bee colonies or swarms. 2. If the monitor finds a honey bee swarm or colony, he or she should notify all teachers to keep everyone away from the area. 3. Plan to use noisy equipment, such as lawn mowers, when students are indoors or away from campus, if possible. 4. Establish a plan of action for a stinging incident. 5. Make sure the school nurse is ready. 6. Educate the students and faculty about what is being done.
Entities Addressing Problem There is currently a website up that promotes killer bee awareness. This website is called KillerBeesAwarenss.Weebly.com. The website was created by Simran Gandhi and Duncan Forsyth. This website is in place in order for people that do not have basic knowledge and facts of killer bees. The website has videos and blogs where people can go and talk about the bees. There is also sections like the Growing Issue where they introduce killer bees and the problem. There is also a tab called Point of View, where they show the points of view and impact of bees on the individual and society. Another tab is called Biodiversity, where the creators list the pros and cons of killer bees. Their last tab is titled Plan of Action, where they describe what people can do if they encounter killer bees. Much like these people I believe that people need to be educated on these bees just in case they encounter them. The more we know the better off we will be.
Conclusion
The rap group Wu-Tang Clan were not wrong in stating in their song titled “Clan in Da Front”, that “…Killa Bees, we on the swarm”. Killer bees are a growing problem and if people stay uneducated on the issue, these bees will continue to be a problem.

References
"Clan In Da Front" lyrics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/wutangclan/clanindafront.html
Killer Bees. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Apis_mellifera_scutellata.htm
Killer Bees Awareness. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://killerbeesawareness.weebly.com/
Lock up your Family! The Unstoppable Killer Bees Continue Charging North. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.viralsoma.com/lock-up-your-family-the-unstoppable-killer-bees-continue-charging-north.html
Mazza, E. (n.d.). Killer Bee Attack Leaves 1 Dead, 4 Injured In Arizona. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/09/killer-bee-attack-arizona_n_5956544.html
Related Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=11059&page=4
Winston, M. (1992). Killer bees: The Africanized honey bee in the Americas. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.