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Author Topic: Raising Africanized Bees?  (Read 27922 times)

Offline weBEE Jammin

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Raising Africanized Bees?
« on: October 18, 2009, 06:54:43 pm »
Is anyone raising africanized bees out there?  I've heard they produce lots of honey if you can tollerate their aggressiveness. They are getting closer to me in OK. I captured nine swarms this year and had to destroy one because of their aggressive behavior. I believe there are hybrids around that have the same characteristics, if not DNA from ABs.

Offline rast

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2009, 08:34:24 pm »
 I believe that if you will do a study on them, you will find you were misinformed on honey production. Due to their nature to swarm often, they do not store a lot of honey. A hot hive is one thing, AHB's are not worth the hassle and potential liability.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
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bigbearomaha

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2009, 08:52:54 pm »
 I have read and discussed some bit about africanized honey bees.

What I gather so far is that yes, they are highly defensive. I have also heard they do not maintain sufficient stores to successfully overwinter in colder climates.  That they need to be in areas with year round or nearly year round warm weather and growing in order to keep enough food to sustain themselves.  The biology and level of aggressiveness  I have heard induces them to consume incredibly huge amounts of stores.

 I personally cannot verify this, but this is what  I gather from the sources I have read thus far and discussed with others.

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Offline weBEE Jammin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2009, 10:04:16 pm »
Can AHB drones breed with other bees and hybrids with better tolerances to cold be made? We heard at our last state Bee Buzz DNA samples of AHB have been found in further north areas.

Offline Bee Happy

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2009, 03:26:04 am »
The  book "first lessons in beekeeping" has a picture of africanized hives, on individual stands not in groups (don't want to agitate neighbors you aren't even working with) - the main idea was that people have learned to work with them in areas where they no longer have a choice.
I have to say that if I wind up having no other choice but to work with africanized bees I'll have to give it up.
so the answer is that it's apparently been done, but you'd have to be desperate or nuts to do it.
be happy and make others happy.

bigbearomaha

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2009, 09:06:57 am »
One report  I read not that long ago was reporting that africanized honey bees, those being a mix of the western honey bee and the african honey bee, tend to assume the traits depending on the climate.

As the AHB are in warmer climates, the Africanized genetics take over.  However, the more they were pushed into cooler climes, the European bee genetics began to take over.  It was noted that the bees became noticeably more docile the further into cooler climates they were.

The report  I read was older and If I recall, quoted frequently from the scientists who did the South American studies which brought the African bees there to begin with.

Big Bear

Offline JP

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2009, 09:22:37 am »
The information I have gathered is that the hybrid is aggressive in the first, maybe second generation, then they become workable. Alan Bukley of http://www.mountainvalleybees.com/ has run across the same info.

People in Africa and south America keep AHB, they really have no choice.


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Offline rast

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2009, 07:00:38 pm »
"The information I have gathered is that the hybrid is aggressive in the first, maybe second generation, then they become workable."
 JP, is that info in the public domain anywhere? On one hand it gives us hope, on the other it seems to me that as they migrate north they should have become workable due to gene dilution and they haven't seemed to.
 My neighbor that helps me move hives works at Disney and they have an ongoing AHB "problem" there. They have been DNA tested.
 He told me he would never help me if mine were as aggressive as those.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
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Offline irekkin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2009, 07:14:50 pm »
there's a good article in last months american bee journal that explains alot about their (ahb) past present and possible future. i thought it was pretty informative.
when you're dumb, ya gotta be tough.

Offline asprince

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Rzede: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2009, 07:29:56 pm »
With Beemaster being global, I wonder if we have some members from Central or South America or Africa that keeps African bees and can share war stories with us?

Steve   
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline weBEE Jammin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #10 on: October 20, 2009, 01:52:17 pm »
That is what I was wanting to hear about, people in southern countries raising AHBs. That would help us in hearing of their experiences, as they migrate further every year.

Offline weBEE Jammin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2009, 01:21:38 pm »
Is there a sight out there to show positive sightings of AHBs? I would like to see yearly maps to see how they are spreading. I hear there are many in the southern states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California? Has anyone had many dealings with them?

Offline Bee-Bop

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2009, 06:39:47 pm »
Here is a official USDA map as of 2009, a Google search found it !!

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=11059&page=6

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Offline pdmattox

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2009, 09:06:08 pm »
I have heard that back in the 70's all drone stock had been contaminated with AHB genetics. The commercial stock today comes from that line of genetics.  Dee Lusby has a lot of info on this. If you ever get a chance to meet her you will be glad you did.

Offline weBEE Jammin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #14 on: October 24, 2009, 10:33:10 pm »
Thank you Bee-Bop for the sight. They are migrating further every year!!

Offline Bee Happy

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #15 on: October 25, 2009, 04:19:18 am »
I wonder why the reported numbers are so low on the map bee-bop posted in the southeast from central Florida up. I don't even have a guess. I'm sure there's a southeast US/africanized joke in there someplace but I'm not really gonna go there anyway.
be happy and make others happy.

Offline weBEE Jammin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #16 on: October 25, 2009, 05:20:25 pm »
It does seam a little biased, but that is probably because they have not been positively identified (DNA samples) in many counties yet?  If one bees stings some people they are accused of being AHBs.  We just need to educate the public on the dependance of honey bees and all the good they do.

Offline weBEE Jammin

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #17 on: October 27, 2009, 10:50:38 pm »
I take it that not very many people at this sight have had that much contact with AHBs? Are there any beekers out there that live in Africa or Central/ South America that have dealt with them? I feel more at ease now. I guess I will worry about them when they get here.

Offline MustbeeNuts

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #18 on: October 28, 2009, 08:43:57 am »
Dont worry ,, Bee Happy now.
Each new day brings decisions,  these are  new branches on the tree of life.

Offline rast

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Re: Raising Africanized Bees?
« Reply #19 on: October 28, 2009, 05:48:39 pm »
 What I did see was that one of those S.A. countries accepts 300 bee sting deaths a year. It's doubtful any of our govts. would accept that.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
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