Bee Information

Click here for the 2026 Apiary Registration information

Photo credit - Denis Whitfill

Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa Mandarinia)

Please note there have been no official reports or pest finds of the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) in Orange County to this date.  
To report any possible sightings of this pest or any possible invasive plant/pest in your area, please contact the California Department of Food and Agriculture Report a Pest hotline at phone (800) 491-1899 or visit cdfa.ca.gov.  

Africanized Honey Bees

Africanized Honey Bees, nicknamed “killer bees” in the media, were documented in Orange County in March of 1999.  All honey bees which are unmanaged or feral (living in the wild) could display “Africanized” traits due to hybridization with Africanized honey bees.  The highly publicized northward migration of the Africanized honey bee has caused all of Southern California and much of the southwestern United States to be declared home to Africanized bees.  Beekeepers, scientists, pest control operators and government agencies have been educating residents about this issue for a number of years.

explore University of California, Riverside - Department of Entomology - Insect Information - Africanized Bees in California