Bees Friend or Foe

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Bees Friend or Foe ????
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FICTION.

•  In the movie, The Swarm, great clouds of angry
  bees attack entire cities and stung hundreds of
  people to death. This is pure fiction. It could
  never happen. But folklore like this has arisen
  within the last twenty years regarding the
  Africanized Bee sometimes called
• "Killer Bee".

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In the beginning..

• Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) -- also called
  Africanized bees or killer bees -- are
  descendants of southern African bees imported in
  1956 by Brazilian scientists attempting to breed
  a honey bee better adapted to the South American
  tropics.
• When some of these bees escaped quarantine in
  1957, they began breeding with local Brazilian
  honey bees, quickly multiplying and extended
  their range throughout South and Central America
  at a rate greater than 200 miles per year. In the
  past decade, AHB began invading North America.
• Africanized bees acquired the name killer bees
  because they will viciously attack people and
  animals who unwittingly stray into their
  territory, often resulting in serious injury or
  death.
• In May of 1991, Jesus Diaz became the first
  person to be attacked by AHB in the U.S. while
  mowing a lawn in the border city of Brownsville,
  Texas. Diaz suffered 18 stings and was treated at
  a local hospital.
• On July 15, 1993, 82-year-old Lino Lopez became
  the first person to die in the U.S. from
  Africanized honey bee stings. He was stung more
  than 40 times while trying to remove a colony
  from a wall in an abandoned building on his ranch
  near Harlingen, Texas.

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The Africanized bee escaped and began to dominate
the honey bee.

•  The new hybrid, called an Africanized Bee, took
  many years but it established colonies
  throughout South and Central America. The bee is
  aggressive, easily agitated, and generally a bee
  with a bad attitude.

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Where are they???

• The Africanized bee as expected, spread across
  the southern part of the country, where the
  winters aren't so harsh. Some scientists and
  entomologists believe that the Africanized bees
  will be able to adapt to colder weather and roam
  as far north as Montana.

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COLONY LIFE

• The four life stages of a Africanized Bee include
  egg, larva, pupa and adult. It takes about
  twenty-one days for a regular worker to fully
  develop from an egg, sixteen days for a queen,
  and twenty-four days for a drone. Drones usually
  live five to ten weeks. Workers usually live
  fifty days. All the workers are females
•      Queens live an average of one to three
  years. There is only one surviving queen bee in
  each colony. She mates with many drones (male
  bees), and may lay 1500 eggs per day.

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swa
SWARMING

• When the beehive is overpopulated, Africanized
  Bees swarm to a local area to start a new hive.
  Too much warm or cold weather may cause swarming.
  Only one queen bee will rule. When the two queens
  reach the adult stage, they battle to the death
  for control of the hive. The cycle of swarming
  continues until the hive is worn out. If you are
  in the path of a swarm of Africanized Bees, you
  have a seventy-five percent chance of a deadly
  attack.

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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES??

• European Honey Bees
• Pollinate flowers and crops
• Calmed by smoke
• Swarm only when crowded

• Africanized Bees

• More aggressive
• Attack in larger groups
• Make less honey
• Make less wax
• Hate high pitched sounds
• Swarm more often

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What causes bees to attack?

•  Africanized bees react to disturbance around
  the hive. They can stay angry for days after
  being disturbed. If one bee stings, it releases
  an alarm
• that smells like bananas. This pheromone
  causes
• the other bees to become agitated and sting.
  The Africanized Bee, like the honey bee, dies
  when it stings. The tiny barbs on the stinger
  stick in the victim. When the bee tries to fly
  away, it rips its abdomen and eventually dies.
  Under usual circumstances, the result is
  discomfort for the
• human but death for the bee.

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The Attack!!!

•  An extremely aggressive Africanized bee colony
  may attack any 'threat' within 100 ft. and pursue
  for up to one-fourth a mile.
• Generally, Africanized bees attack
• only when the colony is threatened
• when loud noises, strong odors or fragrances,
  shiny jewelry, and dark clothes are perceived as
  threats
• the face and ankles

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When your attacked??

• Africanized bees are slow fliers and most healthy
  people can out run them.
• Run away in a straight line, protecting your
  face. Avoid other people, or they too will be
  attacked.
• Do not try and hide underwater. The Africanized
  bee swarm will wait for you to surface.

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If your stung..

• Seek medical attention. Some people are allergic
  to bee stings causing anaphylactic shock. Since
  Africanized bees attack and sting in great
  numbers, it is possible that an allergic response
  may be triggered.

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F.A.Q

• Q How much honey does a European bee colony
  produce compared to an African bee colony?
• A European bee colony produces five times more
  honey than a Africanized bee colony.
• Q What is anaphylactic shock?
• A Most cells release histamine and other
  biologically active substances. The venom
  promotes histamine release from mast cells and
  basophils (especially in sensitized individuals),
  which under the right circumstances, can lead to
  vasodilation and loss of blood pressure. If this
  response is not reversed within a short time, the
  person may die of shock.

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FAQ II

• Q Why does one third of the U.S. food
  production depend on bees?
• A Bees pollinate flowers that turn into fruit
  and vegetables, plants and trees.
  (natural/organic foods)
• Q How does a queen bee control her nest?
• A The queen releases a pheromone that
  identifies her as the queen.
• Q What happened to Brazil's honey production as
  a result of the introduction of killer bees?
• A Brazil went from fourth in world honey
  production to twenty-seventh by the early 1990's.

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Why is the bee so angry?

• Q Why is the Africanized bee so defensive?
• Color, size and shape are traits that bees pass
  along from generation to generation through genes
  contained in cells. The Africanized bee is a
  dangerous hybrid, passing down the trait of
  defensiveness to each offspring.

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Plans to stop them.

• Entomologists in Texas are working hard to
  track the northward spread of Africanized bees.
  The bees are tracked with traps. Usually these
  traps are nothing more than cardboard boxes
  covered with blue protective plastic, hung in
  trees. The traps are baited with a liquid similar
  to the pheromone that directs a swarm looking for
  a home. In Texas, more than 1,200 bee traps have
  been set along hundreds of miles of roadway.
  European honey bee sperm is inserted into a
  Africanized bee queen. The queen is then released
  into the wild. Scientists are hoping the injected
  Killer Bee queen will produce less aggressive
  bees and pass the gene to the offspring. So far,
  not enough queens have been released into the
  wild to determine if this plan will be
  successful.

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BEE VENOM
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What is Bee Venom?

• Bee venom is a complex composition of enzymes,
  proteins and amino acids. It is a colorless clear
  liquid, with a sweet taste and a little bitter.
  It is soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol and
  ammonium sulphate. If is comes in contact with
  air, it forms, opaque or grayish-white crystals.

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What type of conditions is Bee venom used to
treat?

• Bee venom simulates the release of cortisone
  (cortisol) and is therefore effective in the
  treatment of rheumatic diseases, especially
  arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). It can be
  applied directly or by intramuscular injections.
• Other treatments, such as electrotherapy, hormone
  therapy, can help to eliminate particular
  deformations, improve joint movement and raise
  the general state of the organism. Two products
  developed in Bucharest, an ointment - Apireven -
  and a liniment both have been used successfully
  in several cases of rheumatoid polyarthritis. The
  results have shown an important reduction in
  muscular pain, sciatic pain, nerve pain,
  neuromialgias and intercostal and bronchial nerve
  pain.
• Applying the venom topically can provide a
  long-lasting effect and can offer significant
  benefits in arthritic and rheumatic conditions.

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U.S. BEEKEEPERS WORRIED?

•      The bad temper of the Africanized bee,
  coupled with its ability to dominate a honey bee
  region and reduce honey bee production, makes
  beekeepers anxious. Americans eat about 275
  million pounds of honey each year. Beehive
  products also include wax used in candles,
  polish, and floor wax. Scientists disagree on the
  Africanized bee's ability to adapt to new
  environments nor how widely it will range. Also
  of concern is the possibility of relocating
  Africanized bee hives without causing an angry
  swarm.

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The need for the Bee.

• Honey bees pollinate 1/3 of all the worlds
  natural foods more importantly more than ½ of
  all Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavors rely on them.
  

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How can I avoid an encounter with unfriendly
Africanized honey bees?

• The best safety advice is to avoid an encounter
  with unfriendly Africanized Bees. Be alert for
  danger. Remember that AHB sting to defend their
  colony, so be on the look out for honey bee
  swarms and colonies.

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Protecting yourself ..

• Be alert for bees coming in and out of an
  opening such as a crack in a wall, or the hole in
  a utility box. Listen for the hum of an active
  bee colony.Look for bees in holes in the
  ground, holes in trees or cacti, and in
  sheds.Be extra careful when moving junk that
  has been lying around.Be alert for bees that
  are acting strangely. Quite often bees will
  display some preliminary defensive behavior
  before going into a full-fledged attack.

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FYI.

• When you are outdoors, in a rural area, a park or
  wilderness reserve, be aware of your surroundings
  and keep an eye out for bees the way you would
  watch out for snakes and other natural
  dangers.Don't panic at the sight of a few bees
  foraging in the flowers. Bees are generally very
  docile as they go about their normal activities.

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How can I reduce the chance Africanized honey
bees will attack me if they are around me?

• Wear light-colored clothing. Bees tend to attack
  dark things. Dark clothing, dark hair, any thing
  dark in color could draw the animus of AHB.
• Bees are sensitive to odors, both pleasant and
  unpleasant. The smell of newly cut grass has been
  shown to disturb honey bees. Avoid wearing floral
  or citrus aftershaves or perfume.
• Check your house and yard at least once a month
  to see if there are any signs of bees taking up
  residence. If you do find a swarm or colony,
  leave it be and keep family and pets away. Find a
  pest control company or a local beekeeper to
  solve the problem.
• To help prevent honey bees from building a colony
  in your house or yard, fill all cracks and
  crevices in walls with steel wool and caulk.
  Remove piles of refuse, honey bees will nest in
  an old soda can or an overturned flower pot. Fill
  holes in the ground.
• When hiking, avoid hiking off trails. Bring some
  bug spray, bee spray, a GPS, and your cell phone
  with you just in case.
• Be alert for bees acting strangely. If one or two
  start to bump at you, especially at your head,
  take notice and possibly vacate the vicinity.

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Remember..

• It is not necessary to disturb the hive itself to
  initiate an AHB attack. In fact, Africanized bees
  have been know to respond viciously to mundane
  occurrences, including noises or even vibrations
  from vehicles, equipment and pedestrians.
• Though their venom is no more potent than native
  honey bees, Africanized bees attack in far
  greater numbers and pursue perceived enemies for
  greater distances. Once disturbed, colonies may
  remain agitated for 24 hours, attacking people
  and animals within a range of a quarter mile from
  the hive.
• The Africanized bee is widely feared by the
  public, a reaction that has been amplified by
  sensationalist movies and some of the media
  reports. Stings from Africanized bees kill 1-2
  people per year in the United States, a rate that
  makes them more dangerous than venomous snakes,
  particularly since, unlike snakes, they are found
  only in a small portion of the country.