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Africanized Honey Bee
- Quick links:
- What do I do if I am attacked
by bees?
- How do I avoid being stung?
- Should I see a doctor?
- Who can I call?
- Are Africanized Honey Bees
found in Santa Barbara County?
- University of California Information on Bee Stings
- AHB found in Goleta.
- Other AHB related links
Santa Barbara County residents, public agencies, and emergency
responders are advised to become knowlegeable about the Africanized
honey bee (AHB), also known as the "Killer Bee".
In August of 2002 AHB was collected from two bee swarms found
in Goleta, Santa Barbara County. The AHB has gradually migrated
northward, from it's initial introduction into Brazil, and can
now be found in the Southwestern United States. In California,
Africanized honey bees have been found in the counties of Imperial,
Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino,
Tulare, and Ventura.
The European honey bee, used commercially for honey production
and crop pollination, and the  Africanized honey
bee are the same species, indistinguishable without genetic or
morphometric analysis. Unfortunately, AHB's hyper-defensive demeanor
makes them undesirable for commercial beekeeping.
Why are they a problem? Both European and Africanized
honey bees vigorously defend their nests from intruders. AHBs,
however are more easily provoked, respond in greater numbers and
are defensive over a larger area. Sensitive individuals, senior
citizens, small children, pet owners, and heavy equipment operators
should take particular care to avoid provoking a wild nest.
Commercial beekeepers will potentially suffer increased maintenance
costs and less acceptance of their colonies. Farmers may have
difficulty obtaining pollination services. Reduced yields may
result in those crops that benefit from or require pollination
by bees. Despite the setback, commercial beekeeping should continue
to receive support, as commercial bees may become an important
resource for lessening the impact of AHB.
 How
do I avoid being stung? Learn the habits of bees. Honey bees
do not search for people to attack. Honey bees attack in defense
of their nest, usually due to a specific provocation. Individual
bees foraging among flowers and migrating swarms are less likely
to become agitated, however established colonies should be given
a wide berth of at least 100 feet. All persons within the defensive
zone of an agitated hive are subject to attack. Agitated, crushed,
or stinging bees release an alarm pheromone, that will recruit
other bees to sting.
Check for nests before working or playing in prime bee habitat.
Listen for their buzzing and be watchful for the flight paths
of numerous bees. If you get too close to a nest, the bees guarding
the nest may display a defensive behavior -- flying aggressively
at your head. Retreat quickly, yet calmly. Don't flail
your arms and avoid crushing bees.
Avoid provoking bees. Bees may become agitated by lawn
mowers, other motorized equipment, mischievous kids, curious pets
or removal attempts. Most attacks are the result of a specific
provocation.
Do not tie or pen up your pets or livestock near bee nests.
If you must work around bee habitat or otherwise bee-hazardous
areas, consider carrying an emergency bee veil. Insect repellent is ineffective
against bees.
Don't tolerate the establishment of a wild hive in your house
or where you play. Remove potential nesting sites in and around
buildings. Seal or screen all openings into the eaves and walls
of your house. Young colonies are less defensive than older colonies
with brood, therefore, do not procrastinate.
What
should I do if I'm attacked? Stay calm, but move quickly away
from the swarm or nest. Cover your head as completely as possible,
watch where you're going, and find cover in a building or car.
Try to keep as many of the bees outside, as you can, and avoid
involving others, especially children and seniors, as much as
practical. The bees that manage to follow you in should be easier
to deal with and can be swatted or vacuumed up.
Warn other individuals in the area to stay away. Don't jump
in a lake or pool. You won't be able to outswim, or outlast an
angry swarm.
Multiple stinging attacks should be referred to 911 for
assistance. Emergency response personnel will have the proper
equipment and training for this kind of emergency. Rescue personnel
should protect themselves adequately before assisting with a stinging
incident in progress. M-pede, a pesticidal soap, has been
approved for use by police, fire fighters, vector control specialists,
pest control businesses, and other government personnel for use
against honey bees.
Remove stingers as quickly as possible.Recent research has indicated that the method
of removal is not as important as the speed of removal. If removed
quickly, the severity of the sting is reduced.
Should
I seek medical assistance? Many people will experience the
initial pain of the bee sting followed by redness, swelling and
itching at the sting site. Wash the sting area with soap and water.
Application of an ice pack or an over-the-counter cooling antihistamine
spray or ointment may help relieve discomfort.
Persons who are allergic may experience more severe symptoms.
Systemic reaction is indicated by hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting,
abdominal cramps, and headache. More life-threatening symptoms
include shock, dizziness, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing
and swelling of the tongue and throat. Severe symptoms can
occur with surprising rapidity and anyone experiencing these symptoms
should seek medical attention immediately. Persons who are
known to be severely allergic should take appropriate precautions.
Seek medical attention if multiple stings are received.
The toxic dose (LD50) of bee venom is estimated to be 8.6
stings per pound of body weight. (For a 150 pound person, this
would be 1,290 stings.) Healthy persons usually do not suffer
lasting damage from bee stings. However, kidney damage and human
deaths have occurred from multiple stings. The first six unfortunate
persons who died from AHB stings, in the United States, were over
70 years of age and were stung as few as 40 to over 1000 times.
What should I do if there are bees in my house or yard?
Stay away! But don't panic. Individual bees foraging for nectar
are not dangerous, nor are the itinerant swarms of bees frequently
encountered in spring and fall. Usually swarms will move on in
search of a suitable nest site. But if a swarm lingers, is intolerable,
or begins building a nest, have it removed promptly.
Do not attempt to remove or eliminate a swarm or nest yourself.
Handling bees can be a hazardous activity and requires special
equipment and training. Contact a professional pest control company for control
or removal of an established colony from your yard or house. The
Santa
Barbara Coastal Vector Control District offers assistance
to citizens and public agencies who live within the district.
The placement of commercial hives is regulated by this department.
Contact our office for the regulatory requirements for the placement
of commercial hives.
Are
Africanized honey bees found in Santa Barbara County? Unfortunately,
Yes. Africanized honey bees were found from two bee swarms in
Goleta and confirmed on September 3, 2002. The bees that were
found were destroyed and no one was stung.
Africanized honey bees can only be positively identified by
genetic or morphometric analysis. Do not try to collect live bees
yourself.
Collecting live bee samples requires special training and equipment.
This department conducts surveys to detect the AHB and provides
technical assistance to emergency response personnel, hospitals,
public agencies, and affected citizens in identifying and learning
about Africanized honey bees.
Africanized
honey bee related links:
- Santa Barbara Coastal Vector Control District
- Univ of Calif, Riverside's AHB page
- Univ of Calif IPM Project Pest
Management Guideline, Bee and Wasp Stings
- Calif Dept of Food & Agriculture,
AHB site
- San Diego County Agricultural
Commissioner, AHB page
- University of California, San Diego, Poison Control
Center, AHB site
- Stingshield's AHB index
- Pest Control Operators of California, AHB Certification
Site
- AHB in Arizona
- University of Arizona, AHB Education Project
- Texas A & M, AHB site
- Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey & NAPIS' AHB
page
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