The other mite, about the size of a pinhead, is also crippling honeybee populations. They're so weakened or deformed that they're nonfunctional. They don't contribute to the output of the colony, and the whole population crashes and dies. Another threat to the honeybee is the Africanized bee, also known as the killer bee. Domestic honeybees were imported from Europe during the 1600s and bred for many years to be gentle.
Africanized honeybees are different.
These bees have been migrating north from South America since the 1950s. They can now be found in South Texas and other parts of the United States, including New Mexico, Arizona, and California. While Africanized honeybees look like the domestic variety, their behavior is much more aggressive. All bees defend their hives, but Africanized honeybees react more defensively with less cause. Health officials say that wherever these bees congregate, more people will get stung.