The Introduction and Diffusion of the African Honeybee in South America

Abstract

In 1956 scientists introduced the African honeybee, Apis mellifera scutellata , into Brazil in an effort to improve honeybee genetic stock in that country. Almost immediately the bee escaped from captivity, hybridized with existing honeybee populations, and began diffusing over the South American continent. The bee diffused rapidly, eliminating existing honeybee populations through aggression, competitive advantage in resource exploitation, greater reproductive capacity, and gene flow. By the mid-1980s, the hybrid bee had spread over much of the continent, but some areas, notably south of 34 degrees south latitude, remained free of the hybrid because of its inability to adapt to environmental conditions, especially the cooler temperatures, found there. With the probable arrival of this hybrid honeybee in northern Mexico and the southern United States within the next five years, it behooves North Americans to study carefully the South American experience in order to better understand and prepare for the arrival of this bee in North America.