Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Alabama Destroys Confirmed Africanized Bee Swarm as Georgia Ramps Up Surveillance

Officials seek to prevent a new threat to agricultural safety by halting the northward advance of Africanized bees.

© Wirestock Creators via Shutterstock
Image
Image

Overview

  • DNA testing confirmed the June 30 Barbour County discovery as Africanized hybrids and the colony was euthanized within days
  • Alabama has deployed traps and launched genetic screening of wild and managed hives statewide to detect any invasive genes
  • Georgia’s Agriculture Department has stepped up field monitoring along the Chattahoochee River and asked Quitman County beekeepers to report any overly aggressive colonies
  • No Africanized hives have been found across the border since the Barbour County removal, though experts caution against complacency given warmer winters
  • The colony’s unexpected origin—nesting inside a house wall—underscores challenges in tracing how invasive swarms migrate far beyond known ranges