‘Killer Bees’ Are Back. Here’s What You Should Know

You get a creature that is quick to defend its nests and very quick to sting. They’re stronger and more resilient than most of the bees we keep, which is why they’ve spread.

It’s worth remembering that they are similar to normal honeybees. They’re just a different breed. It’s like discussing a bulldog compared to a shih tzu—they’re both the same species.

The real issue is more about whether the two species are intermingling and breeding. Those genetics that underpin the hybrid bees’ defensive and more dangerous behaviors can creep into our own honeybee stock, and that’s really when intervention needs to happen.

The only way to truly tell if a bee is a hybrid is to genetically test it.

What you can observe, however, with a hybrid colony is that very rapid defensive behavior. When the colony is approached, there’ll be many hundreds or thousands of bees that quickly emerge to defend it. That’s usually a surefire sign.

They do occasionally make it into more northerly regions, but the cold weather tends to keep them at bay.

Any region across the South might encounter these bees. Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and the Carolinas are doing a pretty good job of snuffing out these hybrid bees once they appear.

Feral hybrid bees, which are bees that have escaped or otherwise fled from being managed by people, typically will live in hollows—what we call cavity nesting. They don’t want to live underground. They want to live above ground in some sheltered environment.

Their natural habitat can be tree hollows or crevices in cliffs or the equivalent in more urban and suburban environments. That’s often inside people’s walls or homes, particularly if there’s very little insulation or otherwise convenient gaps between floors and walls.

Those genetics can creep into our own honeybee stock to the point where they are so ubiquitous that it is impractical to get rid of those undesirable behaviors.

At that point, we’d have to move toward beekeeping in a different fashion, and people would have to be much more wary of bee colonies.

It’s actually quite hard to become allergic to bee stings, but if someone is already at risk from anaphylaxis from bee stings, the colony poses a significant threat.

Back off as quickly as possible and call your local UGA Cooperative Extension office, Georgia Department of Agriculture, or local beekeeping club to see if there’s anyone who can come out and assess those bees and make a decision as to whether they seem to show that aggression.

There’s a specific training and certification process for beekeepers who are specifically qualified in removing bees from structures. They can do that safely, effectively, and with minimal damage to property.