>One reason you see beekeepers in Brazil able to handle bees with AHB
>genetics is because most have a strict schedule of requeening with European
>queens.

I must admit I was very surprised when I read this. I thought that
Africanization was a done deal in most of tropical America, including
Mexico. These bees require very little upkeep, according to Dave De Jong. He
stated twenty years ago in the ABJ that most commercial beekeepers preferred
them.

Beekeepers faced the challenge of working with the new bees. After an
initial period of adaptation to the very different behavior and biology of
the Africanized bees, the country started to produce large quantities of
honey again and may take its place as one of the largest honey producers in
the world within the next few years. 

Today most apiculturists are satisfied with their conditions and actually
prefer Africanized bees because it is easy to get bees and because they are
good producers. Indeed, the large number of people now taking up beekeeping,
including many young men and women, attests to the manageability of these bees. 

Scientists are no longer concerned with the strong defensive behavior of the
bees. In fact, today most commercial beekeepers in Brazil prefer to work
with Africanized bees. The defensive behavior of these bees has decreased
and beekeepers slowly realized they could exploit the high capacity for
adaptation, reproduction and productivity of the Africanized bees. 

Herve

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