If you’ve seen a swarm or hive forming near your home, business, or outdoor space, it’s natural to assume it’s just honey bees - but that assumption could be dangerous. In Florida, both European honey bees (commonly just called “honey bees”) and Africanized bees can take up residence on your property, and telling the difference isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Our team at Wildlife Works has extensive experience removing both bee types throughout Central Florida. See a Hive? If you’ve noticed unusual bee activity, especially near buildings or high-traffic areas, don’t wait to find out if they’re Africanized.
The Origin of Africanized Honey Bees
In the 1950s, African honey bees were introduced to South America to improve honey production. These bees were a subspecies of Apis mellifera, brought from sub-Saharan Africa due to their strong survival traits and work ethic in hot climates.
But nature had its own plans - some of these African bees escaped and began breeding with local European bee populations. The result was the Africanized honey bee - a hybrid known for its aggressive behavior and rapid spread.
Over the decades, Africanized honey bees migrated north through Central America and Mexico, eventually establishing in Florida.
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The story of how Africanized bees entered the United States has become legendary. This type of bee came into existence when they were interbred between the standard European honey bee and bees from Africa by a man named Warwick E. Kerr, a biologist. He initially bred these bees in Brazil while trying to create a species of bee that would be hardier and adapt to tropical conditions found in South America.
Kerr kept these bees in a special apiary, away from the other breeds of bees. Kerr soon noticed that his newly created bees were more aggressive than other bees. They also were more willing to defend a wider radius around their hive than the European bees.
In 1957, however, Kerr had a visit from another beekeeper who noticed that workers in these new hives were having trouble maneuvering around the excluders. He removed them and set them aside. Doing this accidentally released 26 swarms of the new bees.
African honey bees (AHB) and European honey bees (EHB) are the same species (Apis mellifera), but the two are classified as different sub-species. The African honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) was brought to Brazil in the 1950s in an effort to increase honey production. However, 26 queens were accidentally released and thrived in Brazil's native environment, crossbreeding with European Honey Bees to produce the Africanized Honey Bee.
Since then, Africanized bees have spread throughout South America, Central America, and into the southwestern United States and Florida.
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How to Identify Africanized Bees
At first glance, Africanized bees and regular honey bees look nearly identical. Africanized honey bees are slightly (approximately 10%) smaller than European honey bees. However, this size difference is very subtle, and it is nearly impossible to differentiate between the two without specific measurements and/or laboratory testing.
Side by side, there is almost no way to spot the differences between Africanized honey bees and European honey bees. This is because when they were first brought to Brazil in the 1950’s, they were crossbred with the local bees in hopes to help the declining pollination rate. Instead, a new species of bees emerged that were slightly smaller in physical size, much less social in behavior and 10x more aggressive than the European honey bee they were hoping to produce.
For scientists, it’s still a tricky prospect to try and distinguish between the two bee species. They have to study the veins in the wings, body part colors and other factors that you will be unlikely to see if you run across a swarm.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services uses a morphometric test called FABIS (Fast African Bee Identification System) to identify colonies that have been eradicated from throughout the southeastern United States.
Key Differences: Behavior and Aggression
The main differences between honey bees vs. killer bees are their size and that killer bees, as their name suggests, are more likely to sting when defending their hives than honey bees. The Africanized honey bee is considerably more defensive than its European cousin.
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Are Africanized bees more aggressive than European honey bees? Yes. This is the main differentiator when it comes to telling the difference between the two species of bee. Africanized bees will only attack if someone or something gets too close to their nests. Although the actual colonies, or swarms, of Africanized bees tend to be smaller than the hives you see containing European bees, more of the hive will attack in the Africanized hive.
Africanized bees are more defensive and react more quickly to threats near their hive. They may chase people or animals for longer distances and respond in larger numbers if disturbed. Despite the name, Africanized honey bees are not more venomous. The concern lies in how aggressively they defend their nest.
When provoked, instead of sending out 10-20 protection bees, African honey bees will send out 300+ bees to defend the colony. This is an extremely dangerous and effective tactic to not only disorient the person or animal but in actually harming them as well. And more bees means more bee stings. Aside from the initial reaction to a disturbance, Africanized honey bees remain agitated and aggressive much longer than their docile cousins. In some cases, they can remain that way for several days after an incident.
Africanized bees will also pursue a potential threat over much larger distances than European bees.
Swarming and Nesting Habits
Swarming is a natural occurrence when the colony gets too large and resources are abundant. Absconding occurs when resources are scarce or there is a threat to the hive. The entire colony will abandon the hive for a new location.
Because Africanized honey bees swarm more often, fewer individuals are involved in each swarm, meaning they do not require a large cavity to build a nest and are often discovered in water meter boxes and other man-made cavities.
One noticeable difference between African and European colonies is the size of the colony. European honey bees often have huge colonies of up to 60,000 or more bees whereas Africanized bees have colonies of 15,000 or less. In addition to the size of their colony, African colonies tend to build their hive in exposed places due to their resilience to harsh weather conditions that the European colonies cannot handle. This adds to their danger factor because since they have a smaller hive and often nest on low lying tree branches, they are often difficult to see before it’s too late.
Europeans bees, on the other hand, prefer warm, dry places in a secluded location in order to keep their queen safe and allow the colony to grow to it’s full potential. Many times, this means they can be found inside the walls of your homes tucked into the insulation and grow to be as big as 80 pounds (10 gallons).
Another difference is that due to the smaller size of their colony, Africanized bees will swarm anywhere from 6 to 12 times a year. This is because once their colony has been threatened, they will find a new place altogether rather than simmer down and continue on with their business.
Having evolved in regions with constant resource availability, along with small nests and frequent swarming, AHBs do not have the same drive to store large reserves of honey like EHBs.
Venom and Stings
Unlike wasps and hornets, honey bees can only sting once, and will die shortly afterward. The venom of the Africanized honey bee is no more potent than that of the European honey bee. For a fatality to occur from venom toxicity, it normally would take about 10 stings per pound of body weight, from either an Africanized or European honey bee.
Even the standard honey bee that beekeepers have been breeding for centuries contains venom. Africanized honey bees contain no more venom than those bees. However, a big difference between them and the more docile European honey bee is that they attack potential threats in greater numbers, thus, someone can receive hundreds and hundreds of stings and that much venom can be dangerous and even fatal.
Just like their European counterparts, the Africanized bee will give just one sting and then die. They, too, disembowel themselves when they sting, so an individual bee will sting you just once. Since their hive can contain hundreds of bees, and the vast majority of them can be summoned to attack a perceived threat, victims of killer bee attacks can be stung 500 or more times in one attack.
Their poison is not stronger or more deadly than other bees.
What to Do If You Suspect Africanized Honey Bees
If you suspect Africanized honey bees or notice a growing bee colony:
- Don’t get close. Keep children and pets away.
- Don’t disturb the hive. Spraying or sealing it off could escalate the threat.
- Watch behavior. Are bees aggressively flying at you? Are they relocating frequently?
- Call experts. At Wildlife Works, we’ve helped hundreds of Florida homeowners and businesses safely manage bee colonies, including confirmed Africanized bee infestations.
More than likely it will be hard to tell if the nest of bees you’re seeing is an Africanized honey bee nest or a standard honey bee nest. Most importantly, stay away from the hive. Do not let pets or anyone else near the hive. Back away and contact Western Exterminator immediately. If you ever come across a beehive, Contact a Bee Removal Professional immediately. Never get too close.
Table: Key Differences Between Africanized and European Honey Bees
| Feature | Africanized Honey Bees | European Honey Bees |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Slightly smaller (approximately 10%) | Slightly larger |
| Temperament | Highly defensive and aggressive | Generally calm unless provoked |
| Response to Threats | React quickly, chase for longer distances, attack in larger numbers | Usually sting only when the hive is directly threatened |
| Colony Size | Smaller colonies (15,000 or less) | Larger colonies (up to 60,000 or more) |
| Swarming Frequency | More frequent (6-12 times a year) | Less frequent |
| Nesting Habits | Exposed places, smaller cavities | Warm, dry, secluded locations |
Although it started with good intentions, introducing Africanized honey bees to South America 70 years ago complicated the honey bee population slightly. After cross breeding them with the local bees, what emerged was a new species that was a lot more dangerous and constantly on the move. Although they are great pollinators, they are aggressive and unpredictable, making them unfavorable for beekeepers to maintain and a danger around your home.
If you start to notice a small, agitated colony of bees hanging around your home, call the professionals at Bee Serious Bee Removal to come out and take a look. It very well may be a colony of friendly European honey bees that simply need to be relocated, but it’s not something you should ever gamble with.
