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Table 2 – The African (Brazilian) Bee Problem

Table 2. Attributes of the Brazilian Bee taken from the Final Report of the Committee on the African Honey Bee, 1973.
Brazilian Bee Claims	Committee Report	Reference Given in Committee Report
1. quicker & more nervous flight	did note the phenomenon
2. work 1/2 to 2 hrs. earlier in the morning & later in the evening	not verified by committee
3. forage at lower temperatures – even in light rain	not verified
4. wild swarms do not always accept standard comb foundation		Wiese 1970
4a. do accept foundation	17 out of 18 surveyed	survey (questionnaire by committee)
5. carry larger nectar loads	not verified	Wiese 1970
6. colony sometimes absconds when hive is open	not verified	committee
7. Brazilian bees produce from 1.25 to 2 times amount of honey	not verified	various persons state. others state to the contrary
8. growth cycle shorter	not verified	Wiese 1970
9. more susceptible to EFB	saw little if any disease	Wiese 1970
10. heavy propolization	not verified
11. abscond in cold weather	not verified	reported to?
12. will adapt to warm climate	not verified
13. increase in bees away from apiaries	not verified	inquiries indicate
14. wild bee nests 107.5/sq. kilometer	not verified	Kerr 1971
15. do not die (starve) inside hive	not verified
16. can’t use small nuclei for mating because of absconding	not verified	Wiese 1970
17. small swarms enter hive and kill European bees	not verified	certain beekeepers
18. take over hives of other bees sometimes at night (reported to be in Ribeirao Preto)	not verified	repeatedly described to committee
19. reproductive swarming is common (various beekeepers report bees rarely abscond or swarm if given adequate space, food & water)	not verified
20. 24 of 31 swarms occurred during a time of food scarcity	not verified	Cosenza 1972
21. 7 swarms with one queen each	verified	seen by committee
22. queens from 31 swarms were uninseminated	not verified	Cosenza 1972
23. vicious bees in swarms	not verified	swarms encountered by committee were gentle
24. swarms attack and sting without provocation	not verified	no such swarms were seen by committee
25. high degree of swarming or absconding	not verified	no evidence of recent swarming (or absconding from apiary hives that the committee examined)
26. stings produce effects comparable to stings from other honeybees	verified
27. northern bees aggressive	verified – committee impressed by the vigor
28. southern bees not aggressive	verified – no colonies observed went out of control
29. bees from a hive being worked sting people and animals	European bees can do same
30. aggressive during flow aggressive when little food present aggressive in hot weather aggressive in cool weather aggressive in humid weather aggressiveness is variable	not verified – committee had little opportunity to study	committee often told other information
31. stings cause of death to people	involve allergic persons or rash efforts to destroy hive in a hysteria arising from over publicizing about the danger
32. drones fly faster & lower	not verified	most beekeepers suspect
33. drones do not fly faster & lower	not verified	Kerr & Bueno 1970
34. European queens more likely to mate with Brazilian bees	not verified