Advertisement Killer bees found in South Carolina for first time in 15 years Last Africanized bees in state found in Greenville in 2001 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A colony of Africanized honey bees, also known as “killer bees,” has been destroyed in Charleston County, according to officials.The Africanized bees are the first to be found in South Carolina in 15 years, experts said.Africanized honey bees are descendants of southern African bees imported in 1956 by Brazilian scientists attempting to breed a honey bee better adapted to the South American tropics.When some of the bees escaped quarantine in 1957, they began breeding with local Brazilian honey bees, quickly multiplying and extending their range throughout South and Central America at a rate greater than 200 miles per year. In the past decade, AHB began invading North America.Africanized bees acquired the name killer bees because they will viciously attack people and animals who unwittingly stray into their territory, often resulting in serious injury or death.It is not necessary to disturb the hive itself to initiate an AHB attack, experts say. Africanized bees have been known to respond viciously to mundane occurrences, such as noises or even vibrations from vehicles, equipment and pedestrians.Though their venom is no more potent than native honey bees, Africanized bees attack in far greater numbers and pursue perceived enemies for greater distances. Once disturbed, colonies may remain agitated for 24 hours, attacking people and animals within a range of a quarter mile from the hive.The hive in Charleston County was not as aggressive as some hives, in which bees have been known to kill people and animals.The Department of Plant Industry, a unit of Clemson University, discovered the Africanized honey bee colony in a routine survey, a part of the agency’s charge to protect South Carolina citizens and beekeepers from possible disease or parasite outbreak in the beekeeping industry.During a survey in Charleston County, a beekeeper sustained half a dozen stings in one hive, prompting State Apiary Inspector Brad Cavin to take samples to identify the species.“They did sting the beekeeper, but he was only stung about five or six times. With many Africanized bees you’re talking a hundred-plus stings at a time, and this hive did not exhibit that type of behavior,” Cavin said. He said there are 28 subspecies of the bees with varying degrees of aggressiveness.“At this point in time, there’s no threat to the Charleston area,” he said. “We are conducting thorough surveys of the area to determine whether any remaining Africanized honey bees exist.”Cavin said laboratory analysis of bee samples from the hive by bee researchers showed “an almost 100 percent probability” that the bees were a hybrid of Africanized and European honey bees.“This appears just to be a localized incident, but as a precaution we have depopulated the hive and are conducting a survey within a two-mile area to determine whether any Africanized honey bees remain,” Cavin said. “Depending on those results we’ll decide whether any additional efforts will be required.”This is the first discovery in South Carolina of the hybrid bees since 2001, when a colony of Africanized bees was discovered in the wing of an airplane in Greenville. That colony was destroyed and no Africanized bees have been detected in the state since.The Charleston County case differs from the 2001 discovery in that these Africanized honey bees were not wild, but were found in a managed hive.“This is the first time to my knowledge that we have found them here in a managed colony,” Cavin said.About 2,500 South Carolina beekeepers manage about 30,000 honey bee colonies in the state. Those colonies produce 1.2 million pounds of surplus honey annually and pollinate countless plants in fields, gardens and landscapes. Nationally, bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in added crop value each year.