Feral Honeybees Squeeze Native Pollinators in Southern California, Study Warns

A new peer-reviewed study warns that feral honeybees are monopolising food resources across Southern California, posing a growing risk to the region’s native pollinators and plant communities. Researchers found that the pollen gathered by honeybees from just 2.5 acres of native vegetation is enough to sustain thousands of indigenous bees each day during peak bloom, underscoring the scale at which the non-native species can outcompete local insects for nutrition. The authors say the findings add to concerns about ecosystem resilience in an area already strained by habitat loss and climate stress. They recommend land-managers consider targeted controls on feral colonies and expand floral resources tailored to native species in an effort to maintain biodiversity. Separately, agriculture officials confirmed the sighting of Africanized, or “killer,” honeybees in Barbour County, Alabama, near the Georgia border. Georgia’s Department of Agriculture said it is monitoring the aggressive hybrid species, which can threaten both managed hives and public safety, though the incident is believed to be isolated for now.