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Colorado News<br><br>
<h1><b>Africanized bees reach Colorado, turn up in Palisade
orchard</b></h1>Read more:
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Africanized bees reach Colorado, turn up in Palisade orchard - The Denver
Post</a>
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<br><br>
GRAND JUNCTION Colorado's first confirmed Africanized honey bees have
turned up in a Palisade orchard, stunning entomologists who didn't
believe the bees could survive cold Colorado winters.<br><br>
The bees, which are much more aggressive than other common honey bees,
were discovered by an orchard owner who recently was attacked and stung
while working on his hives wearing his normal protective gear.<br><br>
A single bee from the aggressive hive was confirmed to be an Africanized
honey bee through genetic testing at Colorado State University. The hive
has since been destroyed.<br><br>
"I was stunned by the results of the test. They survived what we
considered to be a pretty brutal winter," said Bob Hammon, a CSU
extension agent and entomologist in Grand Junction. "We don't
understand the significance of that yet."<br><br>
Africanized honey bees first turned up in the United States (in Texas) in
1990 after they were introduced into Brazil from Africa. The bees prefer
tropical climates and it was believed they couldn't survive in areas with
extended winters because they need steady sources of nectar and
pollen.<br><br>
But the bees have slowly been migrating north. The closest they are known
to have come to Colorado previously was southern Utah. They have existed
there for six or seven years.<br><br>
Hammon said the bees likely came to Colorado from a Texas queen
unknowingly introduced to a local hive by a beekeeper or in the shipping
of bees back and forth to California to pollinate almond groves.<br><br>
The bees are considered a threat to humans and animals when they are in
large colonies. Their venom is no more potent than the common European
honey bee, but they are much more aggressive and swarms of the bees can
deliver multiple stings.<br><br>
"Bees with an attitude," Hammon called them.<br><br>
Africanized honey bees are not distinguishable by sight from common honey
bees. They are only microscopically smaller. That size is part of the
testing that takes place to determine if they truly are Africanized bees.
Wing and leg segments are measured and mathematically analyzed.<br><br>
CSU has set up a special laboratory in Fort Collins to test for
Africanized honey bees. Beekeepers who suspect they might have
Africanized bees can send bees to the lab for genetic testing. Directions
for submitting bee samples and the form to include with the bees can be
found at
<a href="http://wci.colostate.edu/shtml/AfricanizedHoneybee.shtml">
wci.colostate.edu</a>. <br><br>
Read more:
<a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25754005/africanized-bees-reach-colorado-turn-up-palisade-orchard#ixzz31dOHUQCB">
Africanized bees reach Colorado, turn up in Palisade orchard - The Denver
Post</a>
<a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25754005/africanized-bees-reach-colorado-turn-up-palisade-orchard#ixzz31dOHUQCB" eudora="autourl">
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