Post by diane9247 on May 16, 2016 6:39:48 GMT
On May 13, 2016, a man's beekeeping hobby went bad when a swarm of apparently Africanized bees began attacking neighbors in Concord, California. Two dogs were killed and several people stung multiple times. Residents were advised to remain inside for the weekend and keep pets inside, as well. DNA was gathered to determine whether the bees were Africanized. European bees are not known to defend their hives so aggressively, nor to attack en masse.
Africanized bee attacks.kmz (32.64 KB)
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"Killer bees are slighty smaller then European honey bees, only experts can tell them apart."
The swarm had dissipated by today, Sunday, but some could still be seen buzzing around houses. African bees have been cross-breeding with European bees for decades and migrating north from Brazil, where the African bees were imported from South Africa in 1956. Scientists there were trying to breed a bee better adapted to the tropics, but some African bees escaped from the quarantined lab in 1957. They began moving north by 200 miles per year and crossed the US border in the early 1990s. Beekeepers and farmers have been worried about an onslaught of "killer bees" for years and, unfortunately, the European bee population has suffered "colony collapse," a drastic decline unrelated to an invasion by African bees.
Africanized bee attacks.kmz (32.64 KB)
Photo
"Killer bees are slighty smaller then European honey bees, only experts can tell them apart."
The Concord beekeeper who set off an attack by a swarm of suspected “killer bees” over the weekend was an experienced hobbyist who had the beehives for 15 years and didn’t notice anything amiss with his honeybees until he tried to move the hives so his father could do some backyard landscaping.
Nothing was out of the ordinary when Arthur Janke, 41, moved the first hive on Friday. But when he tried to move the second one, those bees went berserk, stinging him despite his bee suit, attacking his parents and rampaging out into the neighborhood around Hitchcock Road, stinging neighbors, passersby, a mail carrier and pets. Two dogs that were repeatedly stung died.
The terrifying incident comes months after scientists confirmed that Africanized killer bees had migrated from Southern California and were in the Bay Area, at the edge of Briones Regional Park. If DNA tests confirm that the insects are Africanized bees, the incident would be the first known attack in the Bay Area by the invasive species, whose ominous movements northward have been documented for decades. [Source: see second link above.]
Nothing was out of the ordinary when Arthur Janke, 41, moved the first hive on Friday. But when he tried to move the second one, those bees went berserk, stinging him despite his bee suit, attacking his parents and rampaging out into the neighborhood around Hitchcock Road, stinging neighbors, passersby, a mail carrier and pets. Two dogs that were repeatedly stung died.
The terrifying incident comes months after scientists confirmed that Africanized killer bees had migrated from Southern California and were in the Bay Area, at the edge of Briones Regional Park. If DNA tests confirm that the insects are Africanized bees, the incident would be the first known attack in the Bay Area by the invasive species, whose ominous movements northward have been documented for decades. [Source: see second link above.]
It is not necessary to disturb the hive itself to initiate an AHB attack. In fact, Africanized bees have been known 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.
[Source: first link above.]
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.
[Source: first link above.]
