Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: Read the article and answer the questions.You won’t get stung if you use all the facts and
details in the story to form a conclusion.Interview with a Killer Bee
Reporter:Killer Bee. Is that your real name?
Bee:No. My real name is Africanized Honey Bee. You can call me A. H.
Reporter:Well, then, A. H., why do they call you a killer bee?
Bee:That’s because my kind of bee defends its territory more than other bees. We are
more likely to swarm and sting people and animals than a common bee. We’re
pretty aggressive, all right.
Reporter:Wow, that’s interesting. What brought you to the United States?
Bee:You see, back in 1950, some scientists in South America brought bees like me
from Africa to Brazil. They needed to breed bees there that liked warm weather.
Reporter:And?
Bee:Wouldn’t you know that a bunch of us escaped into the wild. We did well because
we had no natural enemies. We could also live on sparse supplies of pollen and
nectar. So our population grew fast, and soon we spread up through Mexico and
toward the southern United States.
Reporter:Tell me, A. H., are you a useful bee?
Bee:Heck, no. Killer bees are cranky and difficult for beekeepers
to manage. We hardly make any honey and we’ve even
caused some deaths.
Reporter:Gee, that doesn’t sound too good.
Bee:Yep, we’re the problem child of the bee world. Gotta fly. ’Bye.- What is your conclusion about the problem with killer bees? ___
- How do you think this problem should be handled? __