Edition:
April 18, 2008
Public Notices - DBA Info • CONTACT
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Reporter
When David Le Claire opened his garage door on April 2, he noticed a swarm of bees that had landed on the driveway. Since he had three small pets in the area and not knowing how deadly or what type of bees they were, he stomped on them.
When he told his elderly neighbor about the incident, the neighbor informed him of a swarm of bees that had landed shortly beforehand on the bare branch of a bush between their houses. The large cluster of bees was clinging to the branch, which was low to the ground.
David called an exterminator and they were sprayed, causing the bees to fall to the ground where David says they eventually died. The exterminator estimated that there were over two thousand of the notorious Africanized honeybees (AHB) on the bush.
The Africanized bee is known to be very aggressive and, as with any bee, can be deadly to those who are allergic. The venom of an AHB is no more potent than that of a normal honeybee; but since they tend to sting in greater numbers, the number of deaths from them is greater than with other species.
David feels fortunate that neither he nor his pets were attacked. The AHB can respond quickly to disturbances by people and animals up to 50 feet or more from the nest, and can sense vibrations from power equipment 100 feet or more from the nest.
Africanized honeybees will chase an enemy up to a mile or more. Their defensive behavior is thought to have evolved because of the many biological competitors, including humans, in the bees’ native Africa.
David warns residents who see a swarm of bees or a hive in the area not to swat at them or make any loud noises and cautions them to stay back and “bee careful.” An experienced exterminator who knows how to properly handle and remove the bees should be contacted.
Once they were dead, David picked up a handful of the black velvety bees to inspect them more carefully. “They looked different from the average bees you normally see and they had a distinctive dark appearance,” says David.
The Africanized bee has been sensationalized in movies and some media reports which have amplified public fears and given them a larger than life reputation. Since their introduction to the United States there have been 14 deaths from AHB over a period of several years, which makes them less hazardous than venomous snakes.
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