'Killer bees' found in Utah for first time

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Africanized bees have been found in Utah more than 50 years after they started spreading north from Brazil, state officials said.

The bees, popularly known as killer bees, were discovered in traps in two southern counties, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday.

The Africanized bees are descended from 26 queens from Tanzania brought to Brazil by an entomologist trying to breed a bee better adapted to the tropics than the European honeybee. The queens were released by mistake in 1957.

Utah agricultural officials have been expecting the Africanized bees to cross the state line since they were found in Mesquite, Nev., only 40 miles from St. George, in 1999. They are concerned that the bees might be dangerous to the elderly, young children and to farmers who might unknowingly disturb them.

While the bees are not as lethal as their reputation, they are more aggressive than honeybees, defending a much larger zone around hives and pursuing intruders for longer distances.

Officials said the long winters in Utah mean the Africanized bees are unlikely to settle there in large numbers.