What is the difference between bees and Africanized bees?
When you think of a “bee”, what image comes to your mind? For some people, the vision of a small, black and yellow bumblebee lazily moving from flower to flower might be the one they conjure. For others, the bee in question might be more aggressive in nature and be a source of fear rather than a simple part of nature. It might sound odd to say this, but both images are accurate depiction of bees. It’s important to understand that one is characteristic of a standard honey bee while the other is more characteristic of an Africanized honey bee.
Let’s take a look at the differences between these two bees!
Appearance
When looking for differences between insect species, it is natural to first think of appearance differences. Unfortunately, Africanized bees and standard honey bees look very similar. That means that it is almost impossible for individuals without a great deal of experience dealing with bees to tell the difference at a glance. That can be a serious issue given the behavioral differences between the two species.
Behavior
As mentioned above, it is important to understand that honey bees and Africanized honey bees tend to behave in very different manners. Standard honey bees tend to be fairly docile in nature while Africanized honey bees can be more aggressive. A good example of this is the number of stings someone might experience with each species.
Many people believe that Africanized honey bees are more venomous than standard honey bees, however this is not the case. The real issue is that Africanized honey bees are far more aggressive than standard honey bees and, as a result, they tend to swarm perceived threats and sting them many times.
This means that someone who upsets a group of Africanized honey bees could end up being stung dozens or hundreds of times. Their victim will therefore be injected with a dangerous amount of venom. In contrast, standard honey bees tend to be more docile in nature and are slower to swarm perceived threats.
With that said, it is important to note that Africanized honey bees do not go seeking for victims. They attack if someone is too close to their nests. That means that if you know there is a nest of Africanized bees nearby, it is a good idea to stay away from the area.
If you are looking for local, experienced bee removal professionals, contact us today!