Hello,

Im constructing timelines which are 
properly sourced for:

1. Bees in America
2. Africanized Honeybees
3. History of Bees and Beekeeping

While looking at how the first arrivals
of Africanized bees came to America, 
the poem; The Prairies by William 
Cullen Bryant, comes to mind relating
how the first European bees came to 
America sometime after 1622. 

…The bee, A more adventurous 
colonist than man, With whom he 
came across the eastern deep, …

The earliest reference I can locate for
Africanized bees arriving in America
is by sea, as stowaways, in California, 1972.

Which leads me to conjecture that 
it is not out of the realm of possibility that
honeybees may have colonized some
parts of the Americas or other places
as stowaways.

Ships in those days were known to carry
tons of bees wax to missionaries, honey,
spices etc. which would have been highly
attractive to house hunting bees.  It would 
have been common for shipmates to observe
honeybees visiting the vessels investigating 
the odors, or rats scurrying across the deck.
Thereby, the presence of bees on a ship 
would not be out of the ordinary.  A colony 
taking possession of a void in a ship would
perhaps not attract that much attention. Rats, 
and other animals made the trip as stowaways,
perhaps also honeybees, or the wax moth.

My question with the first colonization of bees
in America, is what would be the minimum
number of colonies required to establish 
success in colonizing America?,,, weather,
transported as cargo or as stowaways?

The timelines may be viewed here.
http://www.xtimeline.com/profile/index.aspx?id=104048 

Best Wishes,
Joe Waggle

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