Killer Bees

Africanized honey bees, nicknamed killer bees, first reached southern Brazil in the 1950s and have since spread north into Mexico and then Texas. Along the way they have gained a sensational reputation, with news accounts of deadly stings and aggressive swarms unsettling towns and cities. Mark Winston takes a more measured look, studying the bees' biology and considering how their arrival is likely to affect North American farming and beekeeping.

Winston acknowledges that bringing these insects to the Americas was a mistake, since their mixing with managed honey bees and their rapid spread have created difficult problems. Yet from a purely biological standpoint, the bees have thrived in their new surroundings. The book draws on the author's own fieldwork in French Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela, along with the scientific literature, to describe how these bees live and behave.

He then turns to possible responses. Because barrier and eradication efforts have not worked, and the bees are expected to colonize at least the southern third of the United States, he argues for a coordinated effort across federal, state, and local governments, even though that will be hard to organize. He also suggests that careful management is the best hope for dealing with the economic and health concerns that come with beekeeping in this new era.

The book is intended for readers who want factual information rather than sensational headlines. It offers a brief, accessible introduction to an intriguing insect.