Tag Archive for: africanized bees texas

Killer bees in Texas are not a rumor or a thing of the past. Africanized honey bees first entered the United States in South Texas in 1990, and they have been part of the Texas landscape ever since. This guide covers how they arrived, how far they’ve spread, where they like to nest around Texas homes, and what to do if you find a colony. It’s part of our Killer Bees 101 guide.

Quick answer: are there killer bees in Texas?

Yes. Africanized “killer” bees have lived in Texas since October 1990, when the first U.S. swarm was found near Hidalgo in the Rio Grande Valley. By August 2006 the Texas Apiary Inspection Service had detected them in 163 of the state’s 254 counties. They look like ordinary honey bees. The difference is behavior: they defend their nests faster, in larger numbers, and over longer distances.

How killer bees arrived in Texas

The story starts in Brazil. In 1956, researchers imported African honey bees to breed a bee better suited to the tropics, and in 1957 some of those bees escaped into the wild, according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The hybrids spread north through South America, Central America, and Mexico.

ARS scientists saw them coming and had traps waiting. On October 15, 1990, a swarm turned up in an ARS honey bee trap just outside the South Texas town of Hidalgo. That was the first confirmed Africanized honey bee colony in the United States. ARS noted at the time that the arrival “did not come as a surprise,” because researchers had tracked the bees’ northward movement for years.

The Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS), part of Texas A&M, took an aggressive approach to monitoring and regulating commercial bee movement to slow the spread. Natural migration continued anyway, as swarms moved north county by county. The full backstory, from Brazil to the border, is in The History of Killer Bees.

Where killer bees live in Texas today

TAIS reported that by August 2006, Africanized bees had been detected in 163 of Texas’s 254 counties. That’s nearly two-thirds of the state, and the figure is two decades old. Nobody publishes a fresh county-by-county count each year, so the safest working assumption anywhere in South, Central, and West Texas is that a wild honey bee colony could be Africanized.

Two things limit them. First, Africanized bees came from tropical and subtropical Africa, and University of Florida entomologists say they don’t survive temperate climates as well as European honey bees. Second, a USDA ARS researcher found a strong correlation between heavy, year-round rainfall (more than 55 inches a year) and an almost complete barrier to their spread. Most of Texas is drier than that, which helps explain why the bees settled in so thoroughly. For the national picture, see Where Do Killer Bees Live?

Do all Texas honey bees count as killer bees?

No. Beekeepers in Texas keep European honey bees in managed hives, and the familiar white boxes on farms are not the concern. The Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab says the two types “look the same because they are simply two varieties of the same species,” and highly defensive behavior is the major trait that sets Africanized bees apart. Wild colonies living in walls, meter boxes, and trees are the ones to treat with caution.

How to tell if Texas bees are Africanized

You can’t tell by looking. TAIS puts it plainly: an Africanized bee “looks the same, only being microscopically smaller” than a European honey bee, and “the venom is the same. The behavior can differ.” Labs confirm Africanized bees with wing measurements and DNA. Our guide on how to identify Africanized bees explains how that testing works.

Here’s a useful detail for homeowners: the Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab says you do not need to test bees to see if they’re Africanized if you’re planning removal. Treat a wild colony near people as potentially defensive and call a professional.

Where killer bees nest around Texas homes

TAIS lists the habits that put Africanized bees in close contact with people:

• Less fussy about choosing a home. They may nest closer to the ground and “love water meters” and abandoned bee hives.
• Swarm and abscond more readily. They move more often, so a yard that was clear last month may have a colony today.
• More aggressive and more defensive around the nest.

The Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab adds that bees will nest in buckets, cans, empty boxes, old tires, infrequently used vehicles, lumber piles, fence posts, sheds, garages, and spaces under buildings, in cavities as small as 2 gallons. For a full rundown, see our guide to where killer bees build nests.

What sets off Africanized bees in Texas

Most stinging incidents start when someone disturbs a nest without knowing it’s there. TAIS lists the common triggers:

• Vibration from equipment: tractors, mowers, weed eaters, and chain saws
• People walking close to the hive. You don’t have to touch it.
• Frantic animals that provoke the bees
• Loud noises

That’s why ranch work, yard maintenance, and construction are high-risk activities. TAIS advises patrolling an area before mowing or doing yard work, because “colonies can move during the day while you are at work.”

How Texans can prevent stinging incidents

TAIS and the Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab recommend the same basic steps:

1. Bee-proof your home. Seal openings larger than 1/8 inch in walls, around chimneys, masonry, and plumbing.
2. Screen the gaps you can’t seal. Use 1/8-inch hardware cloth over rain spouts, vents, tree cavities, fence posts, water meters, and utility boxes.
3. Clean up debris. Remove yard junk and abandoned equipment that could shelter a colony.
4. Inspect regularly. From spring through fall, check your house and yard once or twice a week for bees entering or leaving one spot.
5. Teach children awareness. Kids should know to back away from bees coming and going from a hole and to tell an adult.
6. Check before tying up animals. Examine an area for bees before penning pets or livestock.

What to do if killer bees attack in Texas

TAIS teaches a simple memory aid, A-C-E:

• A – Alert others in the area.
• C – Cover your head and face, but don’t block your vision.
• E – Exit. Get into a car or house immediately. Don’t stop to find the colony and don’t waste time.

TAIS also says to stay calm if you’re operating machinery, dial 911 for serious incidents, carry an epinephrine auto-injector if your doctor has prescribed one, and scrape stingers out with a knife edge or fingernail. The full escape plan is in What to Do If Killer Bees Attack.

Should you remove a hive yourself?

No. The Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab says bees “should never be allowed to build or remain in the walls or chimney of a structure,” because they grow more defensive once they have young and stored honey. Killing bees inside a wall is extremely difficult without opening the wall, and all the comb has to come out or it will rot and attract other pests. Its advice is to call a pest control operator or bee removal service right away, and to compare more than one if you have the option. Texas A&M keeps a Texas County Bee Removal page for areas without listed operators. Our guide How to Get Rid of Killer Bees walks through the safe options.

Frequently asked questions

When did killer bees come to Texas?

October 15, 1990. USDA ARS found the first U.S. swarm in a research trap just outside Hidalgo, Texas.

How many Texas counties have killer bees?

The Texas Apiary Inspection Service reported Africanized bees in 163 of 254 Texas counties as of August 2006. Treat wild colonies across most of the state as potentially Africanized.

Are killer bees in Texas more venomous?

No. TAIS says the venom is the same as a European honey bee’s. The danger comes from how many bees sting when a nest is disturbed.

Do I need to test bees on my property?

Not if you’re having them removed. The Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab says testing isn’t needed before removal or extermination. Only beekeepers shipping bees out of state may need testing.

Who do I call about a killer bee hive in Texas?

A licensed pest control operator or a bee removal service. Texas A&M’s Honey Bee Lab maintains a county bee removal list for areas without local listings. Call 911 if someone is being stung.

Are killer bees still spreading in Texas?

They already occupy most of the state. Their spread slowed sharply after the 1990s, and climate appears to limit them in wetter, colder regions.

Sources

• USDA ARS, Agricultural Research magazine, “Africanized Honey Bees: The March North Has Slowed” (March 1996)
• Texas Apiary Inspection Service, “Africanized Bees”
• Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab, “Bee Frequently Asked Questions”
• Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab, “Bee Proofing Your Property”
• USDA ARS, “The Latest Research on Africanized Honey Bees” (2004)
• UF/IFAS EDIS EENY-429, “African Honey Bee, Africanized Honey Bee, Killer Bee”