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dozen of my colleagues. The bee population reached the isthmus of Panama in 1982 

 where I first began my studies and the U.S. border near Brownsville in South Texas 

 in 1990. The population now occupies all of the Americas except southern Argentina, 

 Chile and the altiplanno of the Andes. In the U.S. it occurs m three States. It has 

 expanded its range slowly northward along the Gulf of Mexico but more rapidly 

 westward to New Mexico and Arizona. 



The ultimate distribution of this population within the U.S. is a subject of consid- 

 erable debate. Based on my studies I oelieve it will eventually inhabit and predomi- 

 nate, at least in feral or non-managed colonies, in a distribution pattern resembling 

 a "smile" — upward along both coasts (California or higher on the west and Delmarva 

 with adjacent Piedmont or higher on the East Coast) and then across the Southern 

 States from Coast to Coast. Other colleagues believe it will spread more completely 

 within the U.S. and mix more readily with the managed bee hives of beekeepers. 

 Another of the contradictions of this bee, as you can see, is we don't know how ex- 

 tensively the bee will spread in the U.S. Tms leads to challenges in what should 

 or can be done about this alien invader. 



Introduction of Africanized bee genetic material into the U.S. does not fit the 

 same pattern as invasions of other non-indigenous pest species such as Asian gypsy 

 moth, khapra beetle, Mediterranean ftniit flies ana a whole host of fruit and orna- 

 mental plant pests we currently seek to keep out. The Africanized bee is a popu- 

 lation 01 honey bees which moved naturally from Brazil into the southern U.S. The 

 bee is an ecotype that has proved to be better suited for the climatic conditions of 

 the Americas than other honey bees earlier imported for beekeeping. 



It is clear in my opinion, that Africanized bees will continue to spread and eventu- 

 ally inhabit a wider range of the U.S. because it will outcompete in the natural se- 

 lection "game", asserting its genetic makeup over other honey bee ecotypes. We can 

 do little to slow its natural spread, nor eliminate the population as we have done 

 with some pests like screwworm flies, but we must continue efforts to minimize 

 man-assisted spread of this bee much like the program we currently conduct for fire 

 ant control. 



What has been done to prevent introduction into the U.S. 



As the Africanized bee population spread in South America, we in the U.S. be- 

 came more aware of its undesirable characteristic of defensiveness. People and ani- 

 mals were stung and some who were allergic, or too old, or too informed, or who 

 made poor decisions (such as to attempt to hide not flee) died from receiving too 

 many stings. One instance of a human death has already occurred in the U.S. Many 

 of these stinging "accidents" get reported in the press, not entirely inappropriate for 

 a general public who are entomophobic — scared of insects and relatives like spiders. 



In the late 70*8, scientists such as Orley Taylor and a number of his graduate stu- 

 dents of the University of Kansas and scientists of the USDA, ARS began studies 

 on this bee and its reproductive and defensive behaviors. We began to investigate 

 what makes a tropical bee different from a temperate bee. Studies have continued 

 as the bee expanded northward and have increased in number as the distance has 

 shortened between the population and our own border. The potential negative im- 

 pact has helped make more funding available for research and extension projects. 

 We know a lot about the Africanized bee but the contradictions of still not being 

 able to better predict what impact it will have on U.S. agriculture, including bee- 

 keeping, or the general public, still remains. 



Little was done to prevent the population of Africanized bees from reaching the 

 U.S. border — but then there was little that could be done. There were some unreal- 

 istic suggestions for trying to stop or slow the population at the isthmus of Panama, 

 since our military forces still largely controlled the terrain alongside the Panama 

 Canal. In cooperation with SARH, the Mexican Department of Agriculture, our own 

 USDA attempted to create a zone of high concentration of European race managed 

 colonies coupled with intensive swarm removal at the Gulf of Tehuantepec in that 

 narrowing of central America but rugged terrain, a late start and failure to obtain 

 complete beekeeper cooperation proved to be drawbacks. 



A very successful interdiction effort was maintained at U.S. ports of entry. 

 Swarms of bees, some Africanized, were discovered and destroyed at many east/west 

 coast and Great Lakes ports. This effort continues today. Since the Africanized bee 

 arrived in the U.S., 18 bee captures, in which the bees were identified as 

 Africanized, mostly in East coast ports, have occurred. A population of Africanized 

 bees accidently transported into the Lost Hills area of California was destroyed after 

 an extensive and expensive eradication campaign that cost over $1 million dollars 

 in that State in 1985. Today Federal USDA, APHIS and virtually all States with 

 ocean ports have a program of interdiction. In my own State of Delaware for exam- 

 ple, University, State Department of Agriculture and USDA, have a coordinated pro- 



