Africanized bees produce honey like any other bee, and they are the bee of choice in many locations, especially in Central and South America, which rank among the world leaders of honey production.
Created by biologist Warwick E. Kerr, these bees were designed to produce abundant honey in tropical climates. A single hive of Africanized bees can produce 100 kilograms of honey annually — far more than the 3 to 5 kilograms produced by other bees.
Because killer bees spread throughout the Americas without the help of humans, they have earned a reputation as one of the world’s most biologically invasive species. In Arizona in 1994, only 15 percent of local bees had been Africanized. By 1997, the number reached 90 percent. Though they are more territorial, Africanized bees are the most popular bees in South and Central American beekeeping.
Given their genetic dominance and their ability to out-compete, out-produce, and out-pollinate European bees, economic pressures have forced many traditional beekeepers to switch to this more aggressive breed.