are naturally hygienic and often remove diseased brood from their nests, VSH is a
specific form of nest cleaning aggressively focused on removing Varroa-infested
pupae. The VSH honey bees will chew and cut through the cell cap and discard the
infected brood plus mites from the broodnest.
After testing and hybridization, mite population growth was shown to be significantly lower in VSH and hybrid colonies than those without the trait. Hybrid
colonies had half the VSH genes compared to pure VSH bees but still retained
significant Varroa mite resistance [88].
Since the mid-2000s, USDA scientists in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, developed
honey bees with high expression of this trait, and VSH bees are now commercially
available to beekeepers [89].
5.1.2 Africanized Bees
The Africanized honey bee is particularly invasive in the Americas and has settled
across numerous southern states of the United States, so it is important to understand
their advantages and disadvantages in agriculture as they continue to hybridize with
European honey bee stocks.
To most people, Africanized honey bees are perceived as a threat due to its fierce
defensive behavior. In reality, while deaths attributed to “killer bee” attacks are
violent and frightening, they number far fewer than other causes and, in North
America, pose greater danger to the beekeeping industry and agriculture than to
the general public.
European honey bees were selected and imported by beekeepers for their predictable and manageable traits such as gentleness, limited swarming behavior, and
high honey production. On the other hand, Africanized honey bees often behave
unpredictably in comparison. Once Africanized honey bees enter European colonies,
mating between them results in more hybrid bees having African genes and
expressing African traits over European ones. The behavior of the entire colony
may suddenly shift to highly defensive and short-tempered. Even though the defensiveness of Africanized honey bees varies from colony to colony, just a few colonies
within an apiary expressing excessive aggression could cause a beekeeper to abandon apiculture. The Africanized bees’ higher tendency to abscond also makes them
less desirable in managed beekeeping [90].
Due to higher swarming and absconding rates of Africanized honey bees, honey
production per colony does decline. However, since there are many more, smaller
Africanized colonies participating in pollination and honey-producing activities, the
overall apiary yield may actually increase. When Africanized bees first arrived in
Mexico, the country’s honey exports initially dropped by more than 50%, which
might be attributed to beekeepers abandoning their trade due to the bees’
unmanageable aggression. Mexican honey production had recovered to 75% of
historical levels by 1986 [91].
1 Understanding, Conservation, and Protection of Precious Natural Resources: Bees
33
specific form of nest cleaning aggressively focused on removing Varroa-infested
pupae. The VSH honey bees will chew and cut through the cell cap and discard the
infected brood plus mites from the broodnest.
After testing and hybridization, mite population growth was shown to be significantly lower in VSH and hybrid colonies than those without the trait. Hybrid
colonies had half the VSH genes compared to pure VSH bees but still retained
significant Varroa mite resistance [88].
Since the mid-2000s, USDA scientists in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, developed
honey bees with high expression of this trait, and VSH bees are now commercially
available to beekeepers [89].
5.1.2 Africanized Bees
The Africanized honey bee is particularly invasive in the Americas and has settled
across numerous southern states of the United States, so it is important to understand
their advantages and disadvantages in agriculture as they continue to hybridize with
European honey bee stocks.
To most people, Africanized honey bees are perceived as a threat due to its fierce
defensive behavior. In reality, while deaths attributed to “killer bee” attacks are
violent and frightening, they number far fewer than other causes and, in North
America, pose greater danger to the beekeeping industry and agriculture than to
the general public.
European honey bees were selected and imported by beekeepers for their predictable and manageable traits such as gentleness, limited swarming behavior, and
high honey production. On the other hand, Africanized honey bees often behave
unpredictably in comparison. Once Africanized honey bees enter European colonies,
mating between them results in more hybrid bees having African genes and
expressing African traits over European ones. The behavior of the entire colony
may suddenly shift to highly defensive and short-tempered. Even though the defensiveness of Africanized honey bees varies from colony to colony, just a few colonies
within an apiary expressing excessive aggression could cause a beekeeper to abandon apiculture. The Africanized bees’ higher tendency to abscond also makes them
less desirable in managed beekeeping [90].
Due to higher swarming and absconding rates of Africanized honey bees, honey
production per colony does decline. However, since there are many more, smaller
Africanized colonies participating in pollination and honey-producing activities, the
overall apiary yield may actually increase. When Africanized bees first arrived in
Mexico, the country’s honey exports initially dropped by more than 50%, which
might be attributed to beekeepers abandoning their trade due to the bees’
unmanageable aggression. Mexican honey production had recovered to 75% of
historical levels by 1986 [91].
1 Understanding, Conservation, and Protection of Precious Natural Resources: Bees
33