Varroa-tolerance
Guides
Apis mellifera scutellata
African Honey Bee, East African Lowland Honey Bee, Africanized Honey Bee
Apis mellifera scutellata is a subspecies of the western honey bee native to central, southern, and eastern Africa. It is smaller and slightly darker than European honey bees, with a fuzzy thorax and black-striped abdomen. This subspecies is the primary ancestor of Africanized honey bees, which originated from escaped experimental colonies in Brazil in 1957 and subsequently spread throughout the Americas. A. m. scutellata exhibits heightened defensive behavior, rapid colony growth, and strong swarming tendencies compared to European subspecies.