WARNING!
KILLER BEES HAVE
INVADED ARIZONA
Prepared by:
g
Serving Arizona
locally since 1936
THE SERVICE YOU DESERVE
When you think of killer bees, you might think of giant swarms of bees
hunting down their victims and stinging them thousands of times with
their lethal venom. And while, Africanized bees have been making
headlines since they first arrived in North America, much of this idea is
false and has been perpetuated by the media to play upon people’s fears.
In Arizona it has been said that 90% or more of the bees that populate
the state are Africanized. These Africanized bees, however, do not attack
without warning. One hint that you may be in danger of a bee attack is
that they will send out highly aggressive scout Bee’s to warn you not to
proceed any closer. If miss or do not to take the warning, a killer bee
attack can leave you with hundreds or even thousands of stings.
So, how do you differentiate myths from facts? This guide provides you
with everything you need to know about killer bees, why they are so
dangerous, how to avoid them, and how to safely get rid of them.
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If you wander anywhere near an Africanized bee hive, they will attack. They
are extremely defensive of their home and they do not tolerate anyone
intruding into their territory. If they decide to attack, Africanized bees will
quickly attack as a swarm. By attacking in a large swarm, they send a strong
message to intruders to get out and never come back. This contrasts strongly
with how most honeybees will just send one or two bees to attack intruders
if they come too close.
Africanized honeybees will also pursue an intruder for a greater distance
than their more docile cousins. Africanized honeybees will follow and attack
you for over ½ a mile if they perceive you as a threat. This is partly because
their territory is greater in size than normal honeybees. This means that they
will attack you sooner, even if you are still pretty far from their hive. This
can make if hard for individuals to recognize they are in danger, and is a big
reason African bee attacks often come as a surprise.
Why Are Killer Bees
So Dangerous?
African bees, also known as Killer bees, often cause public panic. However, this
fear is usually excessive due to outlandish portrayals of killer bees in movies and
TV shows. Africanized bees are dangerous because they are more aggressive
than average bees. However, by understanding why and how these bees are
dangerous we can be better prepared to deal with them if we do come
across them.
CHARACTERISTICS
Africanized honeybees are so dangerous because they are so much more
aggressive than their much calmer cousin the European honeybee. Africanized
honeybees are more aggressive because they are more easily provoked, attack in
greater numbers, and pursue the perceived threat for greater distances.
HOW AFRICAN BEES CAME TO ARIZONA
In Europe, there has been a long tradition of bee keeping. Over time,
beekeepers have continuously favored and bred more and more docile
hives. However, in central and south Africa, bee keeping was not a common
practice and therefore the more docile bees were not encouraged as they
were in Europe. In addition to this, African hives had to deal with a harsher
climate and more predators than their European cousins, which also
encouraged African hives to be stronger and more aggressive.
In 1956, African bees were brought to Brazil and crossbred with European
bees to try and increase honey production in more tropical areas. However,
in 1957, 26 swarms escaped and began breeding with the native hives in
Brazil. From there, the Africanized honeybees spread throughout South and
Central America, eventually reaching North America in 1985. By 1993, they
had reached Arizona. Today, Africanized honey bees completely over run all
parts of Arizona.
Africanized bees are simply honeybees that were
hybridized in an attempt to make them able to
survive in different climates. Unfortunately, the
resulting bees are more aggressive than their tamer
counterparts. In Arizona, these characteristics are
only heightened. This is due to the fact that only the
most aggressive hives have been able to survive the
long droughts in Arizona. Natural selection has only
encouraged a more and more aggressive breed of
bees each year.
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How Do I Recognize, Avoid,
and Remove Killer Bees?
Now that you know why Africanized bees are so dangerous, how can you
recognize and avoid these bees?
RECOGNIZING KILLER BEES
Africanized honeybees look very similar to normal honeybees. At first glance, the
difference between Africanized bees and the much calmer European honeybee
may seem minor. They are both winged insects that have a yellowish-brown color
and slightly furry appearance. Surprisingly, they are so similar that the venom in
an Africanized bee’s sting is only slightly more potent than a normal bee sting.
However, there are a couple of small physical differences between the two.
Africanized honeybees tend to be slightly smaller and darker than the European
bees. However, since these differences are so slight, it is best to identify
Africanized bees by their behavior.
If you encounter a hive that is overly aggressive, it is most likely an Africanized
hive. Africanized bees also swarmed more often than European bees. Instead of
only swarming once a year, Africanized bees swarm more often at approximately
six-week intervals. They are also less selective about where they choose to build
their hive and may be found in unlikely places such as crevices, holes in the
ground, trees, discarded tires, boxes, or cactuses.
While recognizing a hive by how aggressive it is may not be the most comforting
identification method, there is some good news. You only really need to worry
about Africanized bees if you encounter their hive. Generally, Africanized
honeybees will not attack you if they are away from their hive, gathering pollen.
Since they are away from their home, they will not feel the need to defend it and
they will act just as any other bee you encounter in your garden.
How do recognize you’re approaching a hive? You can realize that you are
approaching a hive by the soft hum you will hear in the air. You might even notice
an increase in the amount of bees in the area even if you don’t see the hive yet.
The hive itself will be crawling with bees, which will make it difficult to miss.
AVOIDING KILLER BEES
Now that you know how to recognize Africanized honeybees, how do you avoid
them? If you are doing yard work, inspect your yard and trees for signs of bees.
If you are going hiking, try to avoid perfumes and other odors. Bees are very
sensitive to smells and these smells will either attract bees to you or annoy them
once you are in their territory.
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If you do encounter a hive, try to make as little movement as possible as
you back away. Bees can detect movement very easily and they will attack
if they spot you near their hive.
RUNNING AWAY FROM KILLER BEES
Africanized bees will aggressively defend their hives at the slightest
provocation and will swarm with numbers in the thousands. Therefore,
it is important to act fast when confronted by an angry swarm of bees.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, your best line of
defense is to run and seek shelter where the bees cannot get in. As you
run, try to cover your face with a shirt or other type of material. Bees like
to sting the soft parts around your eyes, so you need to take extra care to
protect them. After you have escaped the bees, assess the stings and call
for emergency help if needed.
If you can, try to jump into a car or go inside a house to get away. Don’t
worry about bringing a few bees with you. The most important thing is to
get away from the swarm. If you are in an open space, try to zigzag as
you run as far away as possible. The bees might pursue up to ½ mile away
from their hive, but keep running until you are outside of their territory.
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TREATING KILLER BEE STINGS
After you escape, how do you treat the bee stings you received? Remember, the venom in an Africanized honey
bee’s sting is only slightly more potent than a normal bee sting so treat the sting the same way you would with
any other bee sting—Don’t try to pull the stingers out with tweezers or your fingers. If you do, you will end up
squeezing more venom out of the stinger and into your body. Instead, use your fingernail or another thin flat
surface to gently pry the stinger out of your body. Then, wash the stung area with soap and water.
However, if you are allergic to bee stings, immediately inject yourself with an epi pen, call 911, and get to a
hospital as soon as possible.
HOW DO I GET RID OF KILLER BEES?
If you find an Africanized bee hive in your yard or in another undesirable location, what should you do? First,
do not try to remove the beehive yourself. The last thing you want to do is aggravate an aggressive hive of
Africanized bees. Call an exterminator to professionally remove the hive. They have the gear and equipment
to safely relocate the Africanized bee hive to a new location. Additionally, bees will rebuild their hive if it is not
completely removed. For this reason, you will need to make sure that no part of the hive is left behind.
Arizona Exterminating Co. is a premier exterminating service that specializes in bee and wasp removal and
extermination. As bees and wasps are an important component to the ecosystem, it is always preferable to
remove hives and have them relocated to less populace areas, where they are in less contact with humans.
However, should trapping prove impossible Arizona Exterminating Co. will dispatch bees or wasps using traditional
extermination methods.
Our highly trained team of removal professionals will remove hives and bees and wasps without damaging your
property. Safety is our number one priority and we’ll take every precaution throughout the extermination process.
Arizona Exterminating Co. is fully licensed and insured and prepared to remove the bees and wasps from your
property, regardless of scope of infestation.
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You now know everything you need to know to handle an encounter with an
Africanized bee hive. As long as you treat Africanized bees with caution and follow
the instructions in this guide, killer bees really aren’t that scary. You just need to
leave them alone and give them some space. However, what if you do need to
remove them from your property? Who should you call?
At AZT, we have the gear and equipment needed to safely remove an Africanized
beehive. With our kind, courteous, and professional exterminators, you can trust that
you’re in safe hands. We pride ourselves on getting the job done right the first time
so you can have the peace of mind you’re looking for.
Don’t wait to get stung, call
Arizona Exterminating Co.
today and we will help!
g
“Home of the
All Pest Solution”
azext.com
The information in this eBook was provided by the following sources:
http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/africanized-honey-bees/preparing-for-the-africanized-honey-bee-a-program-for-arizona/
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg113
http://www.maricopa.gov/emerg_mgt/pdf/killerb.pdf
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/desert/a/killerbees01.htm
Arizona Exterminating
Co.
(855) 561-4071
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