Orland, CA - AFRICANIZED BEES KILLED -- Two Africanized honey bee swarms have been killed near here, according to officials. Glenn County Agricultural Commissioner Ed Romano said the swarms were found in heavy construction equipment that arrived from Arizona. Two employees of the company receiving the equipment were stung by the bees. The bees were then killed by a local beekeeper. (San Diego Union Tribune, 11/12/97).

La Joya, TX - 80-YEAR-OLD, OTHERS SURVIVE BEE ATTACK -- Saddled by his wheelchair, 80-year-old Arturo Gonzalez managed Saturday to fend off an invasion of swarming bees inside his home. A neighbor mowing his lawn unintentionally angered and unleashed the bees about noon Saturday when she struck the side of Gonzales's house with a lawn mower, officials said. Emergency officials, responding to a call about a swarm of bees attacking Gonzales and his neighbors, said it was miraculous Gonzales was not killed or injured during the bee attack. (Edgar Sandoval, The Monitor, 10/26/97).

Fort Worth, TX - AFRICANIZED BEES TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO TARRANT COUNTY -- "Killer" bees, the aggressive insects that charged across the Rio Grande seven years ago, appear to be closing in on Tarrant County. Yesterday, Johnson County became the 94th county to be added to the state's quarantine list after tests confirmed that a swarm found Sept. 15 near the community of Egan, between Joshua and Alvarado, was Africanized. The swarm was discovered the morning of the 15th when a grandmother and her grandson were going to feed their animals. As soon as she turned on the lights of the barn, the bees hit the light. She used a can of wasp spray to get back to the house. After returning to the house, the bees swarmed the front porch and the window screens. (Bill Hanna, The Fort Worth Star Telegram, 10/3/97).

Fort Worth, TX - 'KILLER BEES' SIGHTED NEAR DALLAS COUNTY -- A hive of Africanized bees was found Monday in the Ellis County town of Red Oak, just south of Dallas County. It is uncertain if the hive was just a fluke or the first wave of the agressive bees. Africanized bees have never been found in Harris County even though they've been established in neighboring Fort Bend County for some time. (Bill Hanna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9/12/97).

Red Oak, TX - DON'T PANIC ABOUT BEES, OFFICIAL SAYS -- A swarm of Africanized honey bees was discovered in an abandoned hive near Red Oak on Monday. Mr. Glen Moore, Texas Agriculture Extension Service entomologist for Navarro and Ellis counties, reported the hive was exterminated. Moore said the colony was probably an isolated case. (Mike Jackson, The Dallas Morning News, 9/11/97).

Ballinger, TX - RUNNELS COUNTY QUARANTINED FOR AFRICANIZED BEES -- Runnels County on Tuesday was added to the state quarantine restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees there. Texas now has 92 counties quarantined for Africanized honey bees. (Kathleen Davis, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 9/2/97).

Brownwood, TX - KILLER BEES TURN OUT TO BE AFRICANIZED -- The swarm of bees that attacked three dogs last month, killing two, were Africanized, said Brown County Agent Scott Anderson. Bees collected from the central Brownwood neighborhood where the dogs were attacked Aug. 21 have been confirmed by Texas A&M University scientists as Africanized. The three dogs were tied to a shed near where the bees lived. (William Dillard, The Albilene Reporter, 9/1/97).

San Juan, Puerto Rico - AFRICANIZED BEES KILL 2-YEAR OLD -- Africanized bees, including those that killed a 2-year old this week, have nearly wiped out less aggressive bee species in Puerto Rico, an expert said Friday. A swarm of Africanized bees - often called "killer bees" - attacked a 2-year-old boy who had gone with his father, grandmother and two cousins to pick avocados Wednesday. The child died 9 hours after being admitted to Humacao Regional Hospital in southeastern Puerto Rico. The two cousins were also hospitalized. Modesto Colon, director of the government's bee control program, said the Africanized bees were introduced to the island in 1994 and have since overrun other species. Colon said he suspects all the island's 150,000 wild bee colonies are Africanized. Africanized bees have been implicated in four deaths in Puerto Rico since 1994. (AP 8/29/97).

Mexico City, Mexico - 'KILLER BEES' ATTACK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN MEXICO; 23 HURT -- A swarm of "killer bees" attacked a group of schoolchildren Thursday in northern Mexico, injuring 22 children and an adult, officials told the government news agency Notimex. All 23 people were hospitalized, seven of the children with serious injuries, said Mario Gutierrez, a Red Cross doctor in the Pacific city of Mazatlan, 500 miles northwest of Mexico City. Authorities in the state of Sinaloa - where Mazatlan is located - receive about 300 calls a month from people complaining of bee swarms. (The San Diego Source, AP 8/29/97).

Coachella, CA - KILLER BEES COLONIZE VALLEY -- Entomologists have concluded from DNA testing that honey bees from the Coachella Valley are now Africanized. Mr. Cal Kaminskas, County Assistant Agriculture Commissioner, said these results, combined with honey bee samples analyzed near the Salton Sea in September 1995, indicate the entire Coachella Valley has been colonized by the "killer" bee. (The San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/4/97).

San Angelo, TX - BEES RAISE CONCERNS IN SCHLEICHER COUNTY -- Volunteer firefighters, responding to bee calls in Schleicher County, report swarming bees this time of year seem more aggressive. Tests performed in College Station on samples concluded the bees are Africanized. (Royce Jones, The San Angelo Standard-Times, 7/30/97).

San Antonio, TX - AMBULANCES, FIRE TRUCKS DISPATCHED TO HANDLE SWARMING BEES -- At least 8 people were stung and police cordoned off a four-block area after a lawn-mowing crew apparently disturbed thousands of swarming bees. All those stung by the bees - 7 adults and a young girl - were treated by emergency technicians at the scene. The bees came from an abandoned lumber yard near an alley. A sampling of the bees was taken to determine whether they were the more aggressive Africanized variety. (AP, 7/3/97)

Tucson, AZ - 2 INCIDENTS SERVE AS WARY REMINDERS -- Two attacks last week attributed to Africanized bees are a reminder that so-called "killer" bees have colonized much of Arizona and often live in or near developed areas. (AP, 6/23/97).

Mayer, AZ - MAN IN SERIOUS CONDITION AFTER BEE STINGS -- A man was stung over 100 times when he opened a wooden toolbox outside the St. Vincent de Paul center, located near this central Arizona town yesterday. Yavapai County Officials suspect Africanized "killer" bees in the attack. (AP, 6/19/97).

Beasley, TX - 2 ROAD WORKERS ATTACKED BY BEES -- Two Fort Bend County road and bridge workers were attacked by a swarm of bees Thursday while mowing grass near here. One worker received up to 200 stings. He was reported in stable condition at Polly Ryon Memorial Hospital and is expected to be released today. (The Houston Chronicle, 6/13/97).

Alamo, TX - LIABILITY FEARS RISE WITH SWARM OF BEE CALLS -- An increase in reports of swarming bees has city officials worried they could get trapped in a hive of liablity if they continued to remove bees from private property. (Emma Perez-Trevino, The McAllen Monitor, 6/5/97).

Corpus Christi, TX - TWO CITY EMPLOYEES ATTACKED, INJURED BY SWARM OF BEES -- (Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 5/28/97).

Las Milpas, TX - VICTIMS OF BEE STINGS RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL -- A father and son who were stung by a swarm of bees Sunday afternoon were released from the hospital in good condition. (The McAllen Monitor, 5/27/97).

Mission, TX - MISSION BEE VICTIM DIES 11 DAYS AFTER BEING STUNG; TWO INJURED SUNDAY IN BEE ATTACK IN LAS MILPAS -- (Edgar Sandoval, The McAllen Monitor, 5/26/97).

Rosenberg, TX - FIREFIGHTERS RESCUE WORKERS FROM BEES -- Five roofers and one firefighter taken to local hospital for treatment of stings. (The Houston Chronicle, 5/19/97).

Mission, TX - STINGS LEAVE MAN FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE -- A 56 year old man stung by swarming bees riding a tractor along a canal bank here Tuesday continued to suffer seizures in a critical care unit late Wednesday, police said. (Gilka Romero, The McAllen Texas Monitor, 5/15/97).

Las Vegas, NV - FUTILITY CANNOT STING STALKER OF KILLER BEES -- Nevada prepares for entry. (AP, 5/9/97).

Baird, TX - BEE TRAPS MONITOR NORTHWARD MOVEMENT OF KILLER BEES -- Dog killed and family forced to flee their Callahan County home. (J.T. Smith, The Abilene Reporter-News, 5/7/97).

Casa Grande, AZ - FAMILY'S EFFORT FAILED TO SAVE ELDERLY VICTIM OF KILLER BEES -- A Pinal County man was lying on his couch when someone pounded on the front door of his home screaming "Help me! Help me!" The homeowner said the victim's head "was just literally covered with bees". "They were all over him, but mainly his head. It was an ugly sight". The family dialed 911 and threw buckets of water onto the victim through the screen door that shielded them from the stinging bees, in a futile attempt to save the victim. The victim was Arizona's third human fatality due to an Africanized "killer" bee attack. (Jim Erickson, The Arizona Daily Star, 4/10/97).

Casa Grande, AZ - PINAL COUNTY MAN DIES AFTER BEES ATTACK, STING HIM -- A 71 year-old Pinal County man died yesterday afternoon less than two hours after he was stung multiple times.(Jim Erickson, The Arizona Daily Star, 4/9/97).

Tucson, AZ - RECENT WEATHER PUTS KILLER BEES IN THE MOOD TO SWARM -- (Jim Erickson, The Arizona Daily Star, 3/3/97).

.

(c) Apycom