Honeybees are vital to crop pollination and sustainability in US agriculture. Most of the honeybees proliferating throughout the United States are European bees,
which were brought to the US by early European colonists. Another species of
honeybee, the African bee, was brought from Africa to Brazil in the 1950s and from
there spread to the north and south. Today, the United States has a mix of African
bees, European bees, and a hybrid called Africanized honeybees. These hybrid
bees, as well as the African bees, tend to be aggressive and overly protective of
their hives, posing challenges for farmers and others.
What most likely led to the creation of a new hybrid of honeybees?
Scientists intentionally bred the two species in an attempt to
introduce a third, more assertive type of honeybee.
African bees migrated to the United States, reproduced throughout
the country, and overtook the European honeybees.
African and European bees reproduced in nature, and their offspring
became known as the "Africanized" honeybees.
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