<P> HYBRID (see text) </P> <P> The Africanized bee, also known as the Africanised honey bee, and known colloquially as "killer bee", is a hybrid of the Western honey bee species (Apis mellifera), produced originally by cross-breeding of the African honey bee (A. m. scutellata), with various European honey bees such as the Italian bee A. m. ligustica and the Iberian bee A. m. iberiensis . </P> <P> The Africanized honey bee was first introduced to Brazil in the 1950s in an effort to increase honey production, but in 1957, 26 swarms accidentally escaped quarantine . Since then, the species has spread throughout South America and arrived in North America in 1985 . Hives were found in south Texas of the United States in 1990 . </P> <P> Africanized bees are typically much more defensive than other species of bee, and react to disturbances faster than European honey bees . They can chase a person a quarter of a mile (400 m); they have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving ten times more stings than from European honey bees . They have also killed horses and other animals . </P>

Where did the africanized honey bee come from