This is from 1974:

> The current Honey Bee Importation Act was passed in 1922 and forbids only the importation of adults of Apis species; the restriction was intended to prevent the in- troduction of a parasitic mite of honey bees that is not known to exist in the United States.

> The possibility that bees may be brought or carried into the U. S. is not remote. Plant Protection quarantine records show 43 interceptions of honey bees in international commerce at 14 different ports of entries in the last 5 years. There were probably many other unrecorded interceptions that the inspectors identified only as Apis species and did not submit for further identification. 

> Two experimental importations of A. m. adansonii semen are known to have been made by scientists since 1960. In both cases the bees were destroyed when their impact on Brazil became known. There is reason to assume that other shipments of queens have been made to the U. S. from Africa over the years (Morse et al. 1973) but no recognizable effect on our bees has been detected. 

> In Africa, the temper of A. m. adansonii, the African honey bee, is known to vary considerably, often depending on the temperature and humidity. At the lower (and warmer) elevations along the coast, the bees are more aggressive than they are at the higher (and cooler) elevations. 

By MARSHALL D. LEVIN
Staff Scientist (Bees), National Program Staff, ARS, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705

Citation:
Levin, M. D. (1974). Hybridization of honey bees in South America. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America, 20(4), 294-296.

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