Overview
- Africanized honey bees have established populations in 13 states across the South and Southwest, from California and Arizona to Alabama and Georgia.
- Swarms have recently killed a Texas man mowing his lawn and hospitalized multiple people and pets in Arizona.
- These hybrids defend their hives by dispatching hundreds of stinging bees that can chase perceived threats for up to a mile and penetrate standard protective gear.
- Climate change–driven warmer winters are enabling continued northward expansion, with experts forecasting Africanized bees could reach new states by mid-century.
- Because Africanized bees look nearly identical to European honey bees, specialists urge treating all unknown hives as potentially dangerous and calling licensed removal professionals.