Tueuse bee

In order to increase the productivity of its bees, Brazil was essential in 1956, of Namibia, the queens of the African variety Apis will mellifera scutellata . The crossing of these queens with the European bee used until there in Brazil, gave rise to a mongrel line, sadly celebrates tueuse bee . These tueuses bees spread themselves in nature inadvertently.

These mongrel of bees is more aggressive than the bees of the races from which they result.

Their venom is identical to that of the other bees but their aggressiveness involves a great number of punctures (from 200 to 1000 simultaneous punctures, with sometimes the attack of all the swarm).

These tueuses bees can continue a victim on nearly one kilometer whereas the other varieties do it usually only on one about fifty meters.

General information and History

One currently meets these Hyménoptères in South America and certain state of the south of the United States.

This mongrel invasive will colonize the American southern continent in the years 1960, will reach the Mexico in 1985 and will invade the south of the USA at the beginning of the Années 1990.

Currently, the invasion continues its progression towards the north of the United States.

Description and comparative

Morphologiquement, the tueuse bee and the European bee resemble themselves much. Nevertheless they differ on some points:

the tueuse bee is more resistant to the diseases and the climatic conditions;
It can leave under bad weather conditions;
When the resources around the hive rarefy, it does not hesitate to give up the hive and to migrate towards more favourable places;
the queens who have métissés genes hatch one day more precociously than the queens of pure race. They destroy all the royal cells then their softer rivals.

Progression and invasion

The tueuses bees corrupt the genetics of the bees exploited by the bee-keepers. More and more of males of this mongrel line couple themselves with the European bees of the American bee-keepers and contibuent to change the nature of the population of American bees.

Nevertheless, it would seem that the tueuses bees are propagated less in the areas of the north of the United States. It is thought that they adapt less to the climate of the mountainous regions and desert.

Physiopathology

After some punctures the victim can make a simple reaction, but after several hundreds of punctures one can see cases of poisoning mortals by Myolyse, Hémolyse and acute Impaired renal function.

The lethal amount corresponds to approximately 1500 punctures for a man of 70 kilos. One however noted deaths which have occurred after " seulement" 500 punctures and one reports cases of people having survived after more than 1500 punctures.

Treatment

In the event of serious poisoning, the hospitalization is necessary. The treatment is symptomatic and there does not exist specific antivenin against the puncture of bee.

Prevention

See too

External references

External bonds

Africanized Bees in North America
Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) general information, on the site of sting shield insect veil
Africanized Honeybee on the site of the NISIC (national invasive species information center)
Introduced Species Summary Project, Africanized Honey Bee
Beekeeping

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