# Even More Musings about Beekeeping with Africanized Bees



## Tomas (Jun 10, 2005)

A beekeeper needs to learn certain tricks of the trade to work with Africanized bees. Their defensiveness can make them difficult. It’s taken me a good number of years to sort of figure them out (and there still is always something new to learn when bees are involved!). This is the third in the trilogy of blog posts about my Africanized beekeeping.

http://musingsonbeekeeping.blogspot.com/2015/08/even-more-musings-about-beekeeping-with.html



In general, there really is not much difference between an Africanized honey bee and a European honey bee. Both raise brood in the same way. They collect nectar and pollen in the same way. They produce wax and build their combs in the same way. The difference is that one is normally more ornery than the other. And this forces the beekeeper to change tactics to be able to manage them.

This is the continuation of my two previous posts, “Musings about Beekeeping with Africanized Bees” and “More Musings about Beekeeping with Africanized Bees”. I don’t consider myself to be an expert on Africanized bees (much less on beekeeping in general). But over the years, as I mentioned, I’ve learned a thing or two in order to manage and take advantage of the bees in Honduras while taking into consideration my own personal circumstances that affect my beekeeping. 

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Tom


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2014)

Thanks Tom. I enjoyed reading this as much as the other two you have done. Dan


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## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Tom, neat series and a neat blog.

In my youth, we suited up the same way to work bees in Wyoming! And they were just as ornery, unpredictable and would follow the same way often requiring a 15 minute break when leaving to allow them to go back home. It was a welcome relief and a time to rehydrate. Water just tastes much better from the jug than through a sweaty veil. LOL

And your post on training is excellent. A must read for anyone contemplating training others.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Tomas (Jun 10, 2005)

Thanks for the comments Dan and Dennis. I'm glad you're enjoying the blog.


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## humm (Jul 23, 2015)

Thanks Tom, I've really enjoyed reading your blog too. You answered a question I had about whether the AHBs were aggressive when swarming. I used to enjoy catching swarms years ago, and want to start again, but didn't know if I ran into a swarm of AHBs if they would be aggressive when I tried to catch them. I live in northern AZ at about 7000' elevation and haven't heard whether they have moved up here or not. I suspect they have, but I've read they don't winter over in cold areas well. It seems to me that since they have hybridized with the Italians so much that they would have taken on some of their traits and be able to winter over just fine, while keeping the dominant trait for being highly aggressive. I hope not. I hope the cooler parts of the country gets spared the mean behavior. I'm real concerned that I might hive up a swarm, bring them home, and then suddenly someone gets attacked by them because I didn't realize they were AHBs. Looks like that could be a real possibility.


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## Tomas (Jun 10, 2005)

Para los apicultores y miembros de este foro quien habla español, ya tengo este en mi otro blog, “Reflexiones Sobre Apicultura.”

For the Spanish speaking beekeepers and members here on this forum, I now have this post on my companion blog, “Reflexiones Sobre Apicultura.”

“Aún Más Reflexiones Acerca De Apicultura con Abejas Africanizadas” 
http://reflexionessobreapicultura.blogspot.com/2015/10/aun-mas-reflexiones-acerca-de.html


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