Africanized queen

[Tomas]

Here’s a photo I took yesterday when my wife and I were out checking some of our hives here in Honduras. Normally I don’t actively look for the queen but my wife just happened to see this one.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s313/Tomas_fotos/Africanizedhoneybeesqueenandworkers.jpg

People back in the States sometimes ask me if the Africanized bees are really dark. As you can see by the queen and the workers, that’s not really the case. I often see queens that are more orange than this one.

Luckily the bees were still calm at this point so I could get a decent picture. As the afternoon wore on (and the day started to cloud over) the bees got more and more agitated and ornery. Several got in my wife’s veil and stung her in the face. It swelled up pretty good. That photo she won’t let me show.

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Tom

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Good Photo. Ouch poor wife. How did the TBH's at your brothers place work out?
We have been as cold as -26 F here in Western Wisconsin. Honduras looks a lot more appealing at the moment. Adrian

[Tomas]

Considering that they were first-year hives they did okay. We didn’t get a lot of honey but a bit. Besides the nucs we bought we also caught a couple swarms. Everything is bundled up and overwintering right now. Hopefully this year will give us better results. It won’t be too long before I’m heading back north.

Today was sunny and probably in the low eighties down here. The last ten days or so, however, were drizzly, overcast and cool—cold front from up north. It’s good to have the nice weather back. Hopefully the bees will start working again. When we looked at the hives that day there was no fresh nectar at all in the hives and it looked like they were actually tapping into their honey. Normally we’re pulling out the first harvest this time of the year. Things should get back on track now that the nice weather as reappeared.

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Tom

[Cacklewack]

Thanks for the photo.

Matt

[drobbins]

Tomas

thanks for the pic
you're right, lot's of folk up my way looking for info on Africanized bees
[edit]that really is a nice pic, do you mind if I use it in a presentation to kids?
it would be nice to tell them all about the brood comb and then mention "Oh, bye the way, these are Africanized bees"
nice opportunity to introduce the topic to them

Dave

[Tomas]

No problem. Go ahead and use it.

[Gene Weitzel]

Tomas, great photo! We do have some issues with Africanized bees here in Texas, but I don't think the problem is as wide spread in my area as others. I have about 100 hives, at least 50% of which are feral removals. I could show you photos of many of my bees that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference from your photo. I work these bees in shorts & tee shirt (weather permitting) with no protection whatsoever on my hands and arms (I do wear a veil as I hate even an occasional sting to the face). I bet you would not even approach your hives in similar attire! I think your photo pretty dramatically illustrates the fact that there is no way to tell an Africanized bee based on general physical appearance.

[magnet-man]

That photo she won’t let me show.

Tom, what she doesn't know won't hurt. Go ahead and post it, we won't tell.:shhhh:

[Bizzybee]

MM, you trouble maker!! You know the one right after that will be Thomas' fat face!! :D