Chapter 998 African Bees
Xiao Peng remembers learning a nursery rhyme as a child. The lyrics go something like this: "The sun shines brightly, the rooster crows three times, the flowers awaken, the birds preen, the magpies build their new homes, the bees gather honey. Where does a happy life come from? It's created through hard work." In my childhood, I was taught that bees generally represent hardworking, diligent, and lovable people, full of positive energy. During kindergarten performances, there were always children dressed as bees and dancing. Online stores selling bee-themed children's clothing are everywhere, and they're selling briskly.
But for kids like Xiao Peng who grew up in the countryside and often encountered bees in the wild, the bees they knew and the bees in books were completely different creatures! Only those who had never seen a bee would think it was cute. After being stung by a bee once, they probably never wanted to see a bee again in their life.
Honestly, bees are relatively kind in China. If you don't mess with them, you're safe. A sting will only cause you pain for a few days. But what about in Africa? If you encounter a bee, the first thing you should do is run away.
African honeybees are the "weirdos" in the bee world. Just listen to their nickname and you will know - "killer bees"!
The nickname is not an exaggeration, they really can kill people!
Where exactly bees originated from is still an unresolved question. Based on the oldest fossils obtained so far, most scholars believe that bees originated in Southeast Asia or southwestern China.
Over time, some bees migrated to Africa and Europe. Local conditions dictate the local bee population. In Africa, bees not only endure the harsh climate but also face frequent attacks from wild animals, such as the famous honey badger. As its name suggests, its favorite food is honey. To survive, bees must battle various invaders. Therefore, while they are all bees, African bees are known for their aggressive nature, with each generation becoming more aggressive.
If you encounter Asian or European honey bees, they generally stop attacking intruders after they've driven them 20 to 30 meters from their nest. But African honey bees, on the other hand, often won't stop until they're 200 meters away! And they can continue their attack for over an hour and a half!
Everyone knows that when a bee attacks its prey, it means its own death. However, African bees are not afraid of death at all! Another powerful aspect of African bees is their reproductive capacity! Of all bee species, African bees swarm most frequently, with a single colony capable of generating over a hundred colonies in a single year!
And the reason they are called "weird" is not just because they have hot tempers and amazing reproductive abilities, but because their very existence is unscientific!
Comparing African honeybees and Asian honeybees, the difference is immediately apparent: African honeybees are obese and bloated, with unusually short wings. According to fluid dynamics, their body shape makes them unsuitable for flight, or even incapable of flight! However, African honeybees can not only fly, but are also the strongest, most enduring, and have the longest range of all bees! This applies to all insects, and even birds, whose flying abilities are unmatched!
This is again the result of nature's evolution.
What do beekeepers in China fear most? Sudden climate change.
Why do beekeepers travel with their hives? It's not just about catching the blooms, but also because bees are poorly adapted to weather changes. Once they encounter severe weather, their colonies are helpless, resulting in massive casualties.
What about African honeybees? If they find themselves in a harsh climate, they'll swarm and flee to more lush, grassy areas. If you encounter a large swarm of African honeybees, your best bet is to run for your life. They're incredibly aggressive!
Of course, African bees are not without advantages. Their reproductive capacity and working ability far exceed those of other bees. So scientists suddenly had an idea: Can these African bees be domesticated to help humans collect honey?
They thought so and did so, and the result was a tragedy that continues to this day.
Argentina and Brazil in South America were once major beekeeping countries, and the honey they produced was sold all over the world. Although African bees have violent tempers and are highly poisonous, their reproductive and working abilities are truly enviable. Moreover, they have a very powerful ability: they are not afraid of bee mites.
Varroa mites are a major enemy of beekeepers. They can spread rapidly and affect entire bee colonies, causing deformation of young bees, wing damage, flightlessness, reduced size, and reduced productivity. Untreated bee mites infestation during autumn and winter can be devastating for bees. African honeybees, however, are surprisingly resistant to varroa mites and show no fear of them at all!
If African honeybees could be domesticated, beekeepers could reap the benefits many times over! So, in 1956, scientists from the University of São Paulo brought 35 African honeybees to Brazil. They were very careful with their care, installing wire mesh around the hives to prevent the bees from escaping. However, a security guard accidentally removed the mesh, allowing 26 bees to escape from the University of São Paulo laboratory.
These 26 African bees have demonstrated their powerful reproductive ability to the world: today, the number of "African bees" in the entire South American continent exceeds one billion, and they are constantly advancing northward. They have also appeared in the United States. Thousands of people have died from attacks by African bees, so now African bees also have a resounding name, "killer bees"!
Nicknames like "piranha" and "piranha plant" are mostly used to scare people, but "killer bee" is a real bee with the ability to kill!
Xiao Peng and his companions encountered such a group of guys, so his first reaction was: Of the thirty-six strategies, running away is the best one!
But let's be honest, African honeybees aren't the scariest of all bees. The king of bees is the wasp. The hornets and hornets we commonly associate with these species are essentially wasps, of which there are over 5,000 species worldwide, with over 200 found in China.
This thing is the real ruthless stuff!
After all, African honeybees are vegetarians, surviving on pollen, while wasps are carnivorous, feeding on insects, including bees. Their stingers are also different from bees'. While bees' stingers penetrate internal organs, killing them after a single strike, wasps can attack repeatedly and are more toxic. Five stings can send an adult to the hospital.
In 2013, several cities in Shaanxi were terrified by hornets, resulting in nearly 2,000 injuries and 41 deaths within a month. The culprit was hornets.
But whether it's a wasp or a bee, seeing bee insects here in Africa?
Just run away!
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