World's Largest Killer Bee Exhibit (1991-Present)

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Everything is bigger in Texas, especially Killer Bees. In the 1950s, South Americans tried to create a bee hybrid that could thrive in a subtropical climate. This wasn’t an issue until some African queen bees escaped the lab, began mating with the local bees and created a dangerously aggressive hybrid called the Africanized honey bee. In late 1990, these hybrids had made their way to the United States. Due to the bad press caused by attacks of this unwanted visitor in the 1990s, Hidalgo’s Mayor, John Franz, thought he could restore tourism by planning for a sculpture to be built in honor of the bee. On December 1, 1991, Hidalgo became the “Killer Bee Capital of the World” and the 10 foot tall 20-foot long statue of the Africanized bee was completed.

Images

A photo of the Killer Bee Statue located in Hidalgo, Texas.

The Sign Standing Outside of the Statue

An Up Close Image of the statue built on December 1, 1991, to show the attention to detail.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

In the 1950s, South American scientists were trying to crossbreed different types of bees to boost honey production and hopefully find a bee that could survive in a subtropical climate. When they crossed European honey bees with African stock, a few African queen bees had escaped from the Brazilian beehive and began mating with the local bees. This created a hybrid called the Africanized honey bees. The problem with this hybrid is that they are far more aggressive when bothered. The slightest disturbance, such as a passing vehicle or a lawnmower’s noise, could cause them to attack.

In late 1990, Africanized “killer bees” had made their way to the United States from Brazil, and a swarm of 3,000 were spotted right outside Hidalgo, Texas. When they spread throughout the Americas, they managed to kill hundreds of people and animals. The first attacks of these bees happened in May of 1991. The first fatality took place shortly after in 1993, about 35 miles east in Harlingen.

These bees were causing a lot of bad press for Hidalgo and could have negatively affected Hidalgo’s tourism. To avoid this from happening, John Franz, the city’s mayor, decided to shred some light on the subject and celebrate their arrival in the town. He labeled the city the “Killer Bee Capital of the World” and the Hidalgo Economic Development Department spent $20,000 to begin constructing a 2,000-pound statue of an Africanized honey bee. The Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculpture titled “Killer Bee!” was sculpted by Jerome Vettrus on December 1, 1992. It is an anatomically correct, full-color statue with translucent wings. It stands to be 10 feet tall and about 20 feet long with 4 feet long antennas. Today, they even sell posters and postcards that display the bug.

Sources

Atlas Obscura. "'World's Largest Killer Bee'." Atlas Obscura. Last modified September 5, 2017. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-killer-bee.

RoadsideAmerica.com. "Killer Bee Capital of the World, Hidalgo, Texas." RoadsideAmerica.com. Accessed August 1, 2020. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2224.

Waymarking. "World's Largest Killer Bee - Hidalgo TX - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com." Waymarking - A Scavenger Hunt for Unique and Interesting Locations in the World. Last modified April 23, 2014. https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMKJXY_Worlds_Largest_Killer_Bee_Hidalgo_TX.

Image Sources(Click to expand)