Abstract 2467 Using a Genetic Approach to Identify Africanized Honey Bees, Develop a Community Outreach Program, and Expand Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are a species of pollinators that are not native to the Americas, but are used extensively in the agricultural industry. Africanization, the hybridization of European and African honey bee subspecies, occurred initially in Brazil and has since spread to North America. Africanized honey bees have adapted several defensive behaviors, such as frequent swarming and a longer pursuit time, that have resulted in increased lethality. This makes them undesirable to keep domestically due to the dangers they pose to people in agriculture.