Bee genetics

26 Tanzanian queens escaped a Brazilian lab in 1957. Descendants reached Texas by 1990. The 'killer bee' hype was overblown. The management challenges aren't.

Male bees have no stinger, no pollen baskets, and can't feed themselves. Their entire existence is built around one moment that kills them. The ones who miss it get dragged outside in August to starve. Drone biology is not a happy story.

Queen bees from a production operation: $25-45. Documented hygienic genetics: $300+. Instrumentally inseminated: over $1,000. Same species, wildly different prices - here's why.