Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Africanized Honey bees

What Are Africanized Bees

What Are Africanized Bees


Africanized Honey bees


October 19, 1990, a honeybee swarm unlike never before took over a small south Texas town in the United States. Africanized honeybees dramatically labeled as "killer bees" are the result of honeybees brought from Africa to Brazil in the 1950s in hopes of breeding a bee better adapted to the South American tropical climate. 

These honey bees reached the Brazilian wild in 1957 and then spread south and north until they officially reached the United States on October 19, 1990.

Actually all honeybees are imports to the New World and are not native. Those that flourished here before the arrival of Africanized honeybees are considered European honeybees, because European colonists introduced them in the 1600s and 1700s.

Honey bees

Africanized honeybees are so called because it was assumed that the African honey bees spreading out from Brazil would interbreed with existing feral European honeybees and create a hybridized, or Africanized honeybee.

Africanized bees are labeled as having an aggressive nature that make them less than desirable for commercial beekeeping, nevertheless they are the main type of honeybee for beekeeping outside of North America. Africanized bees are also considered superior breeders and build hives very quickly much more quickly than other bees. 

Africanized bees focus on gathering pollen, which can feed the young, rather than nectar, which is more easily converted into honey. Africanized bees are also considered superior honey producers and pollinators outside the U.S.

What Are Africanized Bee

Africanized bees do not exist in nature or science. The African honeybee is a subspecies, native to most of the central and southern parts of Africa that breed with the European bee thus becoming “Africanized”.
All bees need two different kinds of food. One is honey made from nectar, the sugary juice that collects in the heart of the flowers. The other comes from the anthers of flowers, which contain numerous small grains called pollen. Just as flowers, have different colors, so do their pollen. 

Most bees gather only pollen or nectar. As she sucks the nectar from the flower, it is stored in her special honey stomach ready to be transferred to the honey-making bees in the hive. If hungry, she opens a valve in the nectar “sac” and a portion of the payload passes through to her own stomach to be converted to energy for her own needs. 

When her nectar “sacs” are full, the honeybee returns to the hive. Nectar is delivered to one of the indoor bees and is then passed mouth-to-mouth from bee to bee until its moisture content is reduced from about 70% to 20%. This changes the nectar into honey.

Most bees gather only pollen or nectar.

More Articles to Read from Chic African Culture

Show more

This Week’s Best Posts and Pages

Ethiopian Castles and Emperors

Image
In the annals of history, King Fasil, or Fasiledes as he is known, decreed Gondar as the enduring capital of Ethiopia in the year 1636. Under the successive reigns of noble monarchs, a remarkable transformation unfolded. What was once a humble encampment evolved into a walled-in fortified compound of great import, christened Fasil Ghebbi. This compound encompassed six grand edifice complexes, nearly twenty regal palaces and esteemed structures, and an impressive tally of some thirty venerable churches. Francesco Bandarin Photo of Castles of Gondor The castles of Gondar, also known as the Gondar Castle Complex or the Royal Enclosure, are a  collection of historical buildings located in Gondar, a city in northern Ethiopia.  The Gondar Castle Complex was the Ethiopian Empire's royal residence and administrative center during the 17th and 18th centuries. The complex consists of several castles, palaces, churches, and other structures, each reflecting different architectural styles. Not
Read the Article

Food, Drink Offerings at Rock-Cut Tombs

Image
Loaves of bread, cakes, wine, water beer,  oils, and perfumes were offerings Ancient Egyptians offered to the deceased at Beni Hasan Rock-Cut Tombs. A rock-cut tomb is a type of burial structure that is created by carving or excavating directly into natural rock formations. Rock-cut tombs are literally carved or excavated out of solid rock. This means that the tomb chambers, corridors, and other features are created by removing the rock material from the surrounding natural formation. Many of these rock-cut tombs feature decorative elements, such as wall paintings, inscriptions, and carvings.  In the Beni Hasan Rock-Cut Tombs, the ancient Egyptians paid homage to their departed by presenting a variety of offerings. These included loaves of bread, cakes, wine, water, beer, oils, and perfumes. These offerings were a heartfelt gesture to honor and ensure the well-being of the deceased in the afterlife, reflecting the profound significance of their beliefs and funerary customs in ancient E
Read the Article

Architectural Glory: The Nouakchott Mosque of Mauritania

Image
Exploring the Nouakchott Mosque's Design   At first glance, the Nouakchott Mosque's most prominent feature is its soaring minaret, one of Africa's tallest. This towering structure serves as a call to prayer and a beacon that guides the faithful toward their place of worship. The minaret's height allows the call to prayer, or Adhan, to resonate far and wide, calling the community to come together for their daily prayers and congregational gatherings. It's common for mosques to be named based on their location, as in the Nouakchott Mosque in Nouakchott, Mauritania. The mosque's design pays homage to the classic elements of Islamic architecture. Like in many Islamic architectural designs, the dominant colors at the Nouakchott Mosque tend to be earthy and neutral tones, with white being a particularly prevalent color. These color choices have cultural and practical significance in Islamic architecture. Its grand entrance is adorned with intricate geometric patterns
Read the Article

Mesurado Bay Birth of a Liberian Colony

Image
Liberia was designated as a settlement for freed African slaves by the American Colonization Society, primarily due to the strategic importance of Mesurado Bay.  Liberia's history as a settlement for freed African slaves is intricately tied to the American Colonization Society's objectives and the strategic significance of Mesurado Bay. In the early 19th century, the American Colonization Society (ACS) emerged to address the complex issue of slavery in the United States.  The society sought to establish a colony in Africa where freed African Americans could be resettled and provided with opportunities for a better life. Liberia was chosen as the destination for this resettlement effort. One primary reason for selecting Liberia was its strategic location, notably Mesurado Bay. Situated on the West African coast, Mesurado Bay offered several advantages. It provided a suitable harbor for ships, which was vital for trade and transportation. Additionally, the bay's proximity to
Read the Article