How can I tell the difference between regular honey bees and africanized honey bees in southern california?

There's no visible difference between individual European and Africanized honey bees because the Africanized bees are a hybrid form. The most obvious way to tell them apart is that hives of Africanized bees tend to behave more aggressively. If someone captures an entire hive, an entomologist can make certain measurements on a large number of them and detect a microscopic difference in the size of the wings.





If you suspect that you have a hive of Africanized honey bees on your property, you should call a pest control company, or ask the local County Extension office of your land-grant university (UC) for a list of beekeepers who might collect hives.