The Africanized honey bee (AHB) is a hybrid of European honey bees and African honey bees. Africanized honey bees are not a single species, but rather a group of hybrid bees that have inherited various traits from both European and African honey bees. The Africanized honey bee was introduced to the Americas in 1956, when a group of African queen bees were accidentally released from a research facility in Brazil. These bees then mated with local European honey bees, and their offspring inherited the aggressive behavior of the African bees.
The Africanized honey bee has since spread throughout much of South and Central America, and has also been found in the southern United States. Africanized honey bees are known for their aggressive behavior and can be more dangerous than European honey bees.