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Stung

(article, Culinate staff)

As if global concerns about the perilous plight of the honey bee weren't worrisome enough, there are plenty of other bee bugaboos out there. Africanized honey bees, also known as "killer bees," are aggressive hybrids that can swarm, attack, and kill not just people but large animals such as horses. And as the planet warms up, with milder winters in the northern hemisphere, their range is expanding. 

Meanwhile, giant hornets, which can kill with a single sting, are making headlines for killing people in China and preying on honey bees. The best guess for the hornet attacks? Again, climate change, but also human encroachment on hornet habitat. In the long run, it may be the huge hornets — not all the other problems afflicting ordinary honey bees — that simply wipe honey bees out.