There are a lot of misconceptions around what African bees are. What do African bees look like? Pretty much like any other bee. We will go into that. African bees versus honeybees? A killer beehive?
Much like any form of racial classification, the racial classification of bees is complex. A race is a group of individuals within a species who are able to mate and successfully produce fertile offspring with another race in their species.
African races of honeybees tend to be smaller and have more efficient flight muscles than their Northern counterparts. The increased rate of evolution in Africa has enabled bees to evolve to be generally more efficient and more disease resistant.
There is a dangerous misconception that African bees are different from honeybees. Most of the parts of the world that have seen the greatest increases in honey production
There has for a long time been a war on African Bees in the middle parts of the Americas. This has resulted in stereotypes of African bees which have been associated with stereotypes
There is a perception that African bees are aggressive. Some are yes. Some European beehives are also aggressive. African bees, if properly handled are not overly aggressive.
My observation is that the lives of all honeybees matter – not just some races of bees. It sounds like another discussion that is high on the global narrative right now.