The honeybee, Apis melifera is important in agriculture and in nature, providing pollination for many valuable crops and wild plants. They are not native to the United States; early European colonists brought them here, and they are naturalized on every continent except Antarctica.

In 1956, the Brazilian government imported 63 queens of an African strain of wild honey bee in an effort to increase levels of honey production from the country's poorly producing domesticated European honey bees (EHB). An unintentional release led to the rapid establishment of the Africanized honeybee (AHB) in South America. AHB's are adapted to tropical climates and are a rapid reproducer; as such they swarm much more often than EHB's.

The sting of the Africanized Honey Bee is no more potent than the EHB and they look pretty much the same. What makes AHB's more dangerous is that they are more easily provoked, quick to swarm, attack in greater numbers, and pursue their victims for greater distances. An AHB colony will remain agitated longer and may attack up to a quarter of a mile away from the hive. AHB colonies can be very large, and they are not particularly selective about the location of their hives. The Africanized queen bee can lay up to 1,500 eggs a day.

If you see a large swarm of bees, DON'T PANIC, bees in a swarm are usually in a good mood. Bees will not generally sting if unprovoked. A bee only stings under two conditions: to protect the colony, or when frightened. If the swarm is not causing a nuisance leave it alone, gradually the bees will cluster in a bush or tree and remain there for up to 3 days. During that time scouts will be sent out to look for a new home.

When a bee stings, barbs on the stinger cause it to firmly stick into the victim pulling out the venom sac and glands. The venom sac muscles continue to pump venom despite not being attached to the bee.

While bees do not carry any deadly diseases, they can be deadly to persons who are allergic to their venom.

BEE SAFETY

The best safety advice is to avoid an encounter with Bees. Be alert. Remember that bees sting to defend their colony, so be on the look out for honeybee swarms and colonies.

• Be alert for bees coming in and out of an opening such as a crack in a wall, or the hole in a utility box.
• Listen for the hum of an active bee colony.
• Look for bees in holes in the ground, holes in trees, and in sheds.
• Be extra careful when moving junk that has been lying around.
• Be alert for bees that are acting strangely. Quite often bees will display some preliminary defensive behavior before going into a full-fledged attack.
• When you are outdoors, be aware of your surrounding. Keep an eye out for bees the way you would watch out for snakes and other natural dangers.
• Don't panic at the sight of a few bees foraging in the flowers. Bees are generally very docile as they go about their normal activities.

For more information on the honey bee check out these websites
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ahb_profile.htm
http:// ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/ahb/facts.html
http://www.insectsafari.com/insectid/ant_honeybee.asp
http://www.bbka.org.uk/faq_honeybees.html