Can you guess my genetic make up and heritage?
Last Monday night I attended a Beekeeping Society meeting in Balboa Park. It was great to see so many knowledgeable and passionate bee enthusiasts. One of the things mentioned at the meeting was the media’s usage of the term “Africanized Bees” as being an inaccurate description of the wild bee population here in San Diego. The term Africanized bees is a description of the type of bees that were released in South America and have subsequently traveled North and mated with the native bee population here in San Diego. One participant pointed out that the feral bees here are not the same as the bees that were brought to South America from Africa. Those bees were extremely aggressive and responsible for many deadly attacks.
There is no doubt that bees here in San Diego have become more aggressive due to cross breading with those Africanized bees, but it is important to note that they are not the same strain of bees. Their genetic make up is quite different after mating with the local bee population. It was generally agreed upon at that meeting that a better term to describe the local bees would be to use the term “Hybridized” bees. I like this idea but it will take some effort to get people to use this more accurate term.
What do you think about using the term “Hybridized Bees” to describe the wild bee population? Do you think the media is using the term Africanized bees unnecessarily to stir up fear and increase ratings? What’s your take?
