Late Spring Means Bees
Nathan Riggs, Extension Agent, EA-IPM - Texas Cooperative Extension, Bexar County

Late spring signals a weather change that stimulates plants and animals to grow, reproduce, and gather food for the summer months ahead. These conditions usually mean more rainfall (if we're lucky), warmer temperatures, and higher humidities. Most insects find these conditions perfect for feeding and reproduction. One insect in particular, the honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus), seems to garner the most attention.

Bees are only a intermittent pest. They provide a great benefit by pollinating crops like fruits and vegetables, wildflowers, and trees. They also make honey. In the spring, bee colonies produce new queens that leave the hive to begin their own nest elsewhere. This process is called swarming and is commonly seen as a large "blob" of bees clinging to a structure, tree limb, or fence. This "blob" contains one queen and a few hundred workers. These swarms are NOT AGGRESSIVE because there is nothing for them to protect. This brings us to the African strain of honey bees. African bees are IDENTICAL to regular (European) honey bees to the naked eye. Only with microscopic wing measurements can they be differentiated. Color and body size cannot be used as an identifying factor. African bees make just as much honey as their European cousins, but they are more defensive of their nest. This is one way to suspect that there is a difference. When defending their nest, African bees go toward the carbon dioxide in our breath and attack the head area. They are upset by vibrations and movement (NOT SOUND-unless it is loud sound that makes VIBRATIONS), and will chase an assumed threat up to 400 yards away from the nest (Photo at left by B. Drees).

Having mentioned all of this, a very small percentage of honey bees in the San Antonio area are of African descent. Most are regular European bees or hybrids between the two. Hybrids may or may not carry the aggressive behavior of the African parent. If you see a swarm of bees in an urban situation and it is not an apparent threat, call a local beekeeper or the County Extension Office for a list of beekeepers in the area that are interested in collecting bees for their own use. If you witness a bee attack call 911 and stay out of harm's way.

References: Drees and Jackman. A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas, 1998.

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This page last modified on: October 6, 2009