First published: 1977.
Library copy published: 1977.

“The killer bee is a formidable antagonist. Along with the insects’ remarkable adaptability, it has the added advantage of being a member of a society that is totally efficient and incredibly adapted to the propagation of the species. The honeybee society behaves as a single organism; individuals are assigned specific roles for the benefit of the whole. Their behaviour is dominated by altruism—that is, each individual will instinctively give up its life for the good of the group. … It is a prefect society, a utopia governed by one strict rule: the greatest good for the greatest number.” p. 145

“When man tampers with nature, one can never be sure of the outcome. What if the worst occurs? The ability to develop immunity to insecticides is precisely the kind of survival characteristic that could produce killer bee hybrids adaptable to any climate, bees that could, as efforts are made to modify or destroy them, become more aggressive. The prospect gives credibility to the chilling prophecy of The Hellstrom Chronicle: “If any living species is to inherit the earth, it will not be man.” Man may have reason, but the insects have adaptability.” p. 146