Africanized bee

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/africanized-bee

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How many people live in Africanized bee?Abundant and widespread throughout their introduced range in the Americas
2. What is the scientific name?Apis mellifera (hybrid populations originating from African subspecies)
3. What is the lifespan?Worker bees: 4-6 weeks (summer), 4-6 months (winter). Queens: 2-5 years
4. What are Africanized bees and how did they start?Africanized bees are a hybrid honey bee created in Brazil in 1957 by mixing African and European bees. Scientists wanted a bee that could thrive in hot, tropical climates.
5. Where do Africanized bees live and how do they find places to nest?They can live in deserts, rainforests, grasslands, farms, and even cities. They like small, hidden spots such as tree hollows, rock cracks, walls, old rodent burrows, or discarded containers.

Hybridization: The process of interbreeding between individuals of different species or varieties, resulting in offspring with mixed genetic traits.
Defensive Threshold: The level of perceived threat required to elicit an aggressive defensive response from a colony.
Foraging: The process by which bees search for and collect nectar and pollen from flowers.
Abscond: To abandon a nest or hive, often due to disturbance or unfavorable conditions.