Conferees Say Some of the Sting Can Be Taken Out of Bee Migration

Bee experts and agricultural officials, grappling with a projected “invasion” of Africanized bees into the United States as early as next spring, say the northward advance will not immediately herald a mass migration and could be slowed if enough information is disseminated.

State and federal agriculture officials, gathered with international experts at a symposium Wednesday in Mission Valley, said educational efforts such as those under way in Mexico also would dramatically reduce fatalities.

Even if the so-called “killer” bees decide to stay in the more temperate climates found in the United States--Africanized bees prefer tropical to subtropical climes--living with the insect is possible, the conferees said.

Expected to Reach San Diego in 1993

The bees will probably make their way into Texas from northern Mexico in one to three years, and officials expect the bees to enter California in 1993--in San Diego County if they make their way up Mexico’s Pacific Coast, or Imperial County if the bees move west from Texas.

“The most important thing that can be done right now is information (campaigns) to try to take away the idea of the ‘killer’ bee,” said Elba Quintero, Mexico’s program manager on the Africanized honey bee. “As soon as people hear ‘killer bee,’ there is a panic. The bee is not going to come in swarms and attack San Diego and the state of California. It doesn’t work that way. The bee only defends itself when it feels threatened.”

Since 1987, when the Africanized bees first made their way into Mexico, five people have reportedly died after being stung, Quintero said. By comparison, more than 70 people were reportedly killed in Venezuela in 1988 from the bees’ attacks.

Temperament Earns It ‘Killer’ Nickname

While the sting of an individual Africanized bee is no more venomous than that of the European bee common to the United States, its nasty temperament has earned it the nickname “killer bee.” The Africanized bees are easily agitated, sting in larger swarms, and pursue a person for a longer period over a greater distance.

Efforts to destroy the bee, change its behavior or counterattack with a new breed have produced minimal results. Although the European and Africanized bees look identical, the latter is a hybrid of the two and is slightly smaller. Genetically, the traits of the Africanized bee are dominant when cross-breeding occurs. It takes an expert to tell the two apart.

By alerting beekeepers and setting traps to detect the bees’ arrival, U. S. and Mexican officials hope to slow down the northward migration. They say that slowing the bees’ progress is essential to allow time to develop emergency services to handle possible bee attacks.

Given the bees’ volatile disposition, officials are in the awkward position of alerting the public while striving to avoid mass hysteria, said Susan Golding, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

“Although the wingspan of this little bee is less than 20 millimeters, the dread that it has generated cannot be accurately measured,” Golding said. “Today we are not talking about something that is science fiction at all, even though a number of years ago it may have been thought to be.

“The nice part of this particular disaster, if there is a nice part, is that we have time,” she said. “The bad part is that we don’t know much about this type (of disaster) because we haven’t dealt with it before.”

The effect on California’s estimated $15-million to $18-million apiary industry could be far-reaching. About 50% to 70% of the state’s crops depend on bee pollination. Destroying hives to get rid of Africanized bees would have drastic results and has been ruled out, officials said.

Won’t Arrive in Darkening ‘Mass’

Some scientists feel the Africanized bee will not make it to the frigid northern regions of the United States. Others, however, believe that an altered strain will show up throughout North America.

Still, the bees will not arrive in “a mass that will darken the sky,” said Dr. James Tew, national program director of apiculture for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The bees will probably migrate to the United States in single swarms, he said.

Dr. Eric Mussen, an apiculturist at the University of California at Davis, said he is unsure what effect the more temperate climate in the United States will have on the bees’ behavior. (European bees are more easily agitated in colder weather.)

“The habitat here might not be suited to (the Africanized bees’) needs,” Mussen said. “They need a year-round food supply. In Africa, when the food supply runs out, they pull out and swarm to other locations. Here, if it’s winter, they still might not find other food locations.”

Two Types Could Coexist

Mussen said skilled beekeepers will be able to prevent the Africanized bees from overtaking the commercial European hives. The two types of bees could coexist, though typically the drones of the African strain tend to infiltrate European hives.

After an extended period, less volatile strains of the Africanized bees might be produced, much the way European bees were altered through selective breeding after they were introduced to the Americas in the late 1600s, Mussen said. Today’s European bee is generally docile and more productive.

The Africanized bees were introduced into the Western Hemisphere by scientists in Brazil in 1956. The bees escaped in 1957 and rapidly multiplied, heading north at the rate of 200 to 300 miles a year.

The two-day symposium, sponsored by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the San Diego and Imperial County agricultural commissioners, ends today.