UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Highway 98 North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
January 17, 2006
Quick Links: Workshop Identification Defense strategies AHB Updates References
Feature Article - for release the week of January 22, 2006
Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent
What’s the buzz?
Last week our office got its first call on “killer bees”. The question was a result of news coverage of an incident that happened last fall in nearby Port St. Lucie. Last September, a meter reader encountered a swarm of these Africanized Honeybees, and escaped with “only” 50 stings.
The march of these insects since their 1950 escape from Brazil through the Americas is well documented. Now it is time for locals to learn about what to expect with these Africanized Honeybees (AHBs), and prepare for their arrival out here on the Lake.
While the term “killer bees” has been used with this new pest, scientists have found that the severity of their behavior is a bit less than the Hollywood horror stories. But we need to understand their habits and prepare to deal with them. This is especially true for individuals that are already sensitize to any other kind of bee or wasp strings.
Africanized bees were brought to Brazil to interbreed with more docile European type honeybees. The thought was that they would be better adapted to the harsh tropical conditions. Unfortunately, some escaped, and bred with wild colonies. They have been spreading north ever since.
Which
is the Africanized bee? Go to the FDACS
website to find out! Photo
by Jerry Hayes, FDACS
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Our local caller wanted to know how to tell the difference in appearance between AHBs and our normal domestic honeybees. The answer: there is none. The ways that these new bees can be suspected is by their habits. But only scientists can positively ID AHBs by DNA testing.
These new bees set their hives in places that are unusual for our domestic bees. The unlucky water meter readers in St. Lucie discovered one place that AHBs can set up housekeeping. Other known nesting spots include buckets, cans, empty boxes (in trees or on the ground), holes or cavities in fences, electrical meters and agricultural valves.
Self-defense strategy number one is to look before you leap into such places, and be ready for defensive strategy number two: RUN
Once disturbed, AHBs give off a chemical signal to the hive, and their response is to aggressively swarm and sting the intruder. One bee can only sting once, but they send on greater numbers of bees to defend their territory. Most people can run faster that a swarm of bees, and if you are followed, find shelter in a car or building. It is not necessary to run in a zig-zag pattern. And, don’t jump in a pond or pool unless you have a big scuba tank: they will wait for up to 30 minutes for you to come up for a breath.
Since head and face stings are more serious than arms or legs, cover your head and face while escaping. Try to find a towel or a blanket. If you don’t have any of those, use a jacket or shirt. Never stand still or get yourself trapped in a place or situation where you cannot escape the attacking bees.
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If you are allergic to bee stings, be very sure that your bee sting kit is at hand and up to date.
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Please encourage your pest control professionals and law enforcement officials to attend AHB training ASAP.
I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on Africanized Honeybees, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons. BEE SAFE!
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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 02/13/2007 . This page is maintained by Dan Culbert |
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Africanized Honey bees continue their march across Florida. The USDA has updated its map on Africanized honey bee's spread in the United States. AHBs have now been confirmed in nine states in the U.S. As of January 2007, their located in Martin, St. Lucie, Glades and Highlands Counties has been confirmed . It will not be long before they will be detected in Okeechobee County. What this means is that AHBs may be present in a county not "officially" confirmed. While there may be important reasons not to officially confirm a county as having AHBs, people in other areas should still be alert to unusual bee activity. For this updated map showing their confirmed range, click here for a pdf document.
The Florida Department of Agriculture has a number of useful documents on the Africanized Honeybee. Printed copies are available at our office or on-line. [http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/plantinsp/ahb.html]
A great animated webpage has been posted on the Internet by the Ft. Lauderdale News Sun-Sentinel - check it out: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/broadband/theedge/sfl-edge-n-bee,0,7242518.flash
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Blackwell, Audrey. "Killer Bees are on the Way." Okeechobee News, 1/26/06, p.1. http://www.newszap.com/articles/2006/01/25/fl/lake_okeechobee/aokee01.txt
Florida Department of Agriculture. African Honey Bee webpage. Gainesville: FDACS DPI, July 2005. http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/plantinsp/ahb.html
Magolda, Charles A. What are Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) a.k.a., Killer Bees? (webpage). Roanoke, VA: Sting Shield, Inc, January 2006. [Page has up-to-date maps of spread of AHB, lists protective equipment, and describes AHB situation across the US]. http://www.stingshield.com/ahb-index.htm
Sanford, Malcolm T. and Hall, H. Glenn. African Honey Bee: What You Need to Know (Fact Sheet ENY-114). Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service, September 2005. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG113
Wood, Chuck. "Bee Aware". Gainesville: UF/IFAS Impact Magazine, Fall 2005, pp. pages 26-31. http://impact.ifas.ufl.edu/IMPACT_Fall_2005.pdf, **then go to pages 27-31.**