San Antonio, TX --- TWO MEN ATTACKED BY BEES --- Men became stuck in mid-air. Two men attacked by bees at a strip center off Wurzbach Road Saturday, couldn't get away without help. The two men said that they were were high above a Northwest Side parking lot in a cherry picker when they said that they disturbed a bee hive, which was inside a sign post they were working on. When the bees attacked, the men said, that they rushed to get down, but the cherry picker became stuck in mid-air. The city's bug squad, Vector Control, was called in to help, but both men were stung on their head, neck, face and hands. "They knocked my brother down to the bottom of that basket and I started fighting them off of him, because they really knocked him down and then they came at me," bee attack victim Johnny Massiatte said. Medical officials said that both men will be OK. Vector control sprayed the hive with soap and water instead of chemicals, to be sensitive to people's fears of bioterrorism. (KSAT-TV San Antonio, 11/3/01).

  Three Rivers, TX --- MAN STUNG 400 TIMES IN CRITICAL CONDITION --- Three Rivers resident was clearing brush near Choke Canyon Reservoir. A Three Rivers man remained in critical condition Wednesday after receiving at least 400 stings from what might have been Africanized bees. Roy Bertram, 64, was taken by helicopter ambulance to a San Antonio hospital Tuesday afternoon after he and two others encountered the bees while clearing brush near Choke Canyon Reservoir in McMullen County, said McMullen County Sheriff Bruce Thomas. John Lee, 29, and Pedro Serrano, 54, were with Bertram when the attack occurred. Lee also was taken to University Hospital in San Antonio, but was released Tuesday. Serrano, who received about five bee stings to the ear, was not hospitalized. "When I got home, my ears were purple," Serrano said. Serrano said he ran toward Bertram when he saw him in danger. He said he used a fire extinguisher in a failed attempt to scare the bees away. Serrano said Bertram's wife told him that about 400 stingers were removed from Bertram and that he probably was stung many more times. Roy Parker, a Texas A&M extension entomologist, said it was best for people to have a vehicle nearby when clearing brush so that they would have an enclosed space to run to should they encounter the bees. Running from Africanized honeybees won't help much, he said. "They will follow you for a distance," Parker said. He said the bees would have to be taken to a Texas A&M laboratory in College Station to determine whether they were Africanized or the more docile European honeybees. Africanized honeybees were first found in McMullen County in 1991. (J.R. Gonzales, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 10/11/01).

  Longview, TX --- GREGG, HARRISON COUNTIES ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Gregg and Harrison counties were added Monday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees. The addition makes 139 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Samples of bees taken on Sept. 17 from research traps were analyzed and found to be Africanized. A sample was taken from a trap near the Gregg County airport and another was taken from a trap about 1-1/2 miles north of Tanyard Branch Lake in Harrison County, Jackson said. No one was stung in either incident, he added. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico. The Africanized bee was first detected in the United States near Brownsville in October 1990. Since then, the bee has spread through much of the state, along a line roughly from Houston to Lubbock to El Paso. Africanized honey bees also have been found in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 10/1/01).

  McAllen, TX --- AFRICANIZED BEES STING TWO PEOPLE, KILL DOG --- Africanized bees apparently agitated by lawn service workers attacked two people and killed a dog in a north McAllen neighborhood. Officials at McAllen Medical Center said a man and a woman were treated for bee stings and other minor injuries and released. Firefighters said Friday's attack began while lawn service workers were clipping weeds with power tools. The swarm crossed into another yard and attacked a woman hanging laundry. Officials didn't say how many times the two were stung. But Fire Lt. Amado Cantu said the dog, which was chained up and couldn't escape, was stung at least 50 times. Cantu said the bees probably became aggravated when they heard the yardmen working. The noise and vibrations from the machinery can anger the bees. Chris Sanchez, an animal control officer, warned people to inspect their lawns and house before doing yardwork. "Because once these bees start to make their honey, they can become aggressive and defensive and will come after you if they are aggravated in any way," he said. The Africanized bee was first detected in the United States near Brownsville in October 1990. Since then, the bee has spread through much of the state, along a line roughly from south of Houston to Lubbock to El Paso. Africanized honey bees also have been found in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. Africanized bees are sometimes called killer bees because of their aggressiveness. Bill Rubink, a research entomologist and bee specialist with the Agricultural Research Center in Weslaco, said residents should not be afraid of the bees, but should learn to live with them. "Theyre just like yellowjackets," he said. "People just need to know to stay away from them, and run as fast as they can if the bees get agitated." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9/1/01).

  Franklin, CT --- HEART, NOT BEE STINGS, KILLED BEEKEEPER --- A Franklin man attacked by hundreds of bees Sunday died of heart failure and not from bee stings, the medical examiner's office has ruled. Ernest W. "Bill" Jennings, 54, was tending to beehives near his home Sunday morning when a swarm of bees attacked him, then chased him for a quarter-mile as he tried to escape in his pickup truck. When he arrived back at his house, Jennings tried to fend off the bees by spraying them with a garden hose, his wife, Carol Smith, has said. A few minutes later, Smith saw Jennings lying on the ground outside the house. He was dead and had been stung dozens of times, despite his protective gear. But many of those stings likely came after Jennings died of heart failure, the medical examiner's office in Farmington said Friday. (Eric R. Danton, The Hartford Courant, 9/1/01).

  Franklin, CT --- BEES THAT KILLED FRANKLIN MAN WERE EUROPEAN, NOT AFRICANIZED --- The bees that attacked and killed a Franklin man were not Africanized, or so-called "killer bees," but were an unusually aggressive hive of European bees, the kind common to Connecticut, federal authorities who examined the bees said Thursday. "This [examination] came up absolutely 100 percent European," said Kim Kaplan, a spokeswoman for the Bee Research Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Samples of the bees that killed Ernest "Bill" Jennings on Sunday were sent to the lab in Maryland. Investigators examined the wing length and size and other physical characteristics, and entered the measurements into a computer, which analyzes the measurements. The investigators said they believe that the bees were a feral swarm that took over one of Jennings' empty hives. The finding that the bees were European - which will be checked by DNA analysis - relieved beekeepers statewide who had feared that an invasion of the aggressive Africanized bees could have jeopardized their hives. Africanized bees have never been found this far north because they cannot survive the winters. "This is a major relief for beekeepers in the Northeast because this is certainly something we have been fearful of," said Winthrop Baum, president of the Backyard Beekeepers Association in Connecticut. "We are well-suited and prepared to handle a local bee variety." As an additional precaution, two other hives taken from Jennings' property also will be examined in Maryland, said Louis Magnarelli, state entomologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. Those two hives, which have docile bees, apparently were acquired by Jennings from state bee inspector Ira Kettle. "We're going to go ahead and analyze the others," Magnarelli said, adding that he is sure they also will be of European stock. "I'm taking the results as they come." Jennings' family had said that Kettle sold Jennings the bees. As state bee inspector, that would have been a conflict of interest. Kettle has said that he gave Jennings the bees for free, and that he did not give him the bees which attacked him. At least one of Jennings' friends said that Jennings had a wild swarm and that he was aware they were aggressive. The bees could have come from the wild or might have strayed from another beekeeper's hive, Magnarelli said. Jennings, 54, was an animal lover who rescued dogs and cats from shelters and once stopped traffic on I-95 to save a dog that had run away. So even when the bees stung him repeatedly last year, acquaintances said, he did not destroy them, as some beekeepers do when they have an aggressive hive. "You can find European bees as mean as Africanized bees," Kaplan said. "Their behavior can vary from day to day, depending on the weather and food. What most beekeepers do if they have a hive that is often behaving meanly is just get rid of it." "It is entirely possible it was a feral swarm and maybe one he shouldn't have been working with," Kaplan said. Although beekeepers should be relieved that the bees that attacked Jennings were not Africanized, Magnarelli said they should report any overly aggressive hives to his office so that they can be checked. It is still unclear what provoked the bees Sunday as Jennings was attempting to harvest some honey from the hive. Jennings' wife, Carol Smith, said she heard his truck return to their house shortly after he went out to care for the bees. He was yelling for her to turn on the hose, so that he could disperse the swarm that had followed him from the hives. Smith turned on the hose. Then Jennings ordered his wife, who is mildly allergic to bee stings, to go back inside, which she did. Minutes later, she found Jennings lying on the ground, covered by bees. The swarm had followed him from the hives a quarter of a mile to his home. Smith ran outside and tried to spray the bees with bug spray, but she was stung three or four times. She ran back inside and called 911. When Jennings was pronounced dead at William Backus Hospital in Norwich, he had at least 30 stings on his face and many more on his body, Smith said. Today, Smith will bury her husband of 17 years, one week after they had signed the paperwork to build a new house on their Franklin property. She said she is relieved that the bees are not the Africanized variety. "I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else," she said. Smith said she still believes that Kettle sold her husband the bees, and she never recalls Jennings' saying anything about a wild swarm that had flown in. "We may never know," she said. (Tracy Gordon Fox, The Hartford Courant, 8/31/01).

  Franklin, CT --- UNRELENTING SWARM PURSUED BEEKEEPER --- Carol Smith saw her husband lying on the ground near their house, and then she saw the enormous swarm of bees, circling round him and his pickup truck. Smith tried to spray the bees with a garden hose and with bug spray, but some of the insects started coming after her. Smith, who is allergic to bee stings, ran inside and called 911. By the time firefighters arrived, Ernest William Jennings, who had been a beekeeper for five years, was dead. He had been stung hundreds of times by a swarm that had chased him in his pickup truck for a quarter of a mile. The bees were so much more aggressive than honeybees native to Connecticut that the state entomologist is investigating whether one of Jennings' three beehives may have been invaded by Africanized honeybees or so-called killer bees. "That shows a level of aggressiveness not normal for the honeybees we have here," said Louis Magnarelli, the state entomologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. Magnarelli said he has sent out samples of the bees to determine whether they were Africanized or just an abnormally aggressive strain of European honeybees. Either way, the hive will be destroyed, he said. "In the interest of public safety, it's probably best to just get rid of them," he said. Even the few bees that remained on the couple's property at 17 Lydia Lane Monday were aggressive, chasing anyone who came near the stone wall where their hives had been before they were taken away by other beekeepers Sunday. It would be the first detection of Africanized bees in Connecticut and authorities are not sure where they would have come from. They are unusual in the Northeast, because they cannot withstand the cold winters. "We're all kind of floored by the whole thing," said the couple's daughter, Charisse Jennings. "There's never been any problems. He knew what he was doing." Her father was a computer engineer and an animal lover who helped rescue dozens of dogs and cats, Jennings said. He had starting working with bees out of his love for creatures, and had planned to build a larger house on his property. The stings of Africanized bees are no more potent than those of native honeybees, but Africanized bees, first detected in the United States in 1990, respond in greater numbers and pursue intruders for greater distances. That is apparently what happened to Jennings, who was working with his bees shortly before 11:30 a.m. Sunday. It is not clear what Jennings was doing when the bees attacked him, but he had on his protective suit and a "smoker" that is supposed to calm the bees. When police and firefighters arrived, they found thousands of bees swarming Jennings and his pickup truck. When the bees first attacked, Jennings jumped into his truck, believing the bees would not follow. But they did, chasing the truck down a narrow, winding path on his property. The bees were so persistent that state police had to close off the dead-end road where Jennings lived and warn neighbors on the street to stay inside their homes. "There were bees inside the victim's vehicle and around the vehicle and around the house," said Trooper Mark Packer, the first officer on the scene. "The door was open and the truck was full of them." Emergency medical technicians had to spray water on the swarm before they could reach Jennings, 54, who was unconscious. He was later pronounced dead at William Backus Hospital in Norwich. The road remained closed until other beekeepers, who were working at the Brooklyn Fair, arrived at Jennings' home, and were able to recapture them. "It's very abnormal," Magnarelli said. "My concern as state entomologist is determining what is going on with the bees from that hive." Magnarelli is awaiting the results of the tests on the bees, expected by the end of this week, and an autopsy to be conducted on Jennings today at the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Farmington, to determine whether he went into cardiac arrest from the number of bee stings he suffered. Jennings' family is claiming that state bee inspector Ira Kettle - who is in charge of monitoring all licensed beekeepers - sold bees to Jennings after Jennings' other bees died last winter. [The new bees] "were supposed to be more hardy," said Charisse Jennings. She said her father was in his protective gear, which the bees somehow penetrated. Magnarelli, who works with Kettle, said that he doubted Kettle would have sold anyone bees because it would be a conflict of interest for the state bee inspector to sell bees. "He is not allowed to sell bees," Magnarelli said. Magnarelli said Kettle may have given Jennings some bees, but said he believes those weren't the bees that attacked him. Kettle could not be reached Monday for comment, but on Sunday he said he had checked Jennings' hives in July and there were no problems with them. Magnarelli said he is investigating whether the swarm may have flown into an empty hive on Jennings' property, possibly from another beekeeper or from a hive in the wild. "It's possible they could have come in on a ship or by railroad," he said. But Winthrop Baum, president of the Backyard Beekeepers Association, which operates in Fairfield County and in New York, said Kettle tried to sell him some bees at a gardening exposition in the spring; he said he declined to buy them. "Ira had been fooling around with mite-resistant bees. He offered them to me," Baum said. "He said they were mite-resistant and more hardy." Baum said Kettle did not quote him a price because Baum "stopped the conversation." Baum said the hives should be preserved for study and the state should look into whether the mite-resistant bees could be more aggressive than others. (Tracy Gordon Fox, The Hartford Courant, 8/28/01).

  Harlingen, TX --- SOUTH TEXAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEE ATTACK --- A 43-year-old man from Harlingen remained at Valley Baptist Medical Center on Thursday afternoon after being attacked by what may have been Africanized bees. He was in stable condition, officials said. “I almost died. They weren’t sure if I was going to make it or not,” John Parker said. “I had a bad allergic reaction to them.” Parker was cleaning the yard of his business at 3202 S. F St. when a swarm of bees attacked him Wednesday afternoon. He said he was not sure about how many bees attacked him, but it seemed there were thousands. He said he was stung about 236 times. “They never quit following me,” said John Parker. “I ran and ran and ran. I never could get them off of me. Bees also stung one of Parker’s co-workers, Jose Hernandez, as he tried to help Parker. Parker called him his hero. “They started attacking him, and he was still trying to help me because I was so covered,” Parker said, adding that Hernandez was stung 77 times. Harlingen Fire Department Engine 6, based on Rangerville Road, responded to the call at 2:56 p.m. Capt. Edward Muñiz from Fire Station No. 1 said the first arriving unit was unable to get out of the truck because the bees were flying all over the area. Muñiz recommends people that are confronted with the same situation to seek shelter such as a car or a building. “They won’t go after you unless you disturb their house,” Muñiz said. “You have to be very careful because they come in the hundreds.” (Vanesa Salinas, Valley Morning Star, 8/23/01).

  College Station, TX --- HARRIS COUNTY ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Harris County was added Thursday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees. The addition makes 137 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. A sample of bees taken from a 55-gallon barrel was analyzed and found to be Africanized. The barrel, at 9444 Ronda Lane in Houston, was disturbed July 27 when Johnny Money was mowing weeds there. He was stung as many as 60 times, Jackson said, but recovered after receiving medical care. "The sample was later sent to the Honey Bee Identification Lab at Texas," Jackson said, "and the followup investigation concluded Aug. 14 that Harris County should be quarantined." The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico. The Africanized bee was first detected in the United States near Brownsville in October 1990. Since then, the bee has spread through much of the state, along a line roughly from south of Houston to Lubbock to El Paso. Africanized honey bees also have been found in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. Counties included in the quarantine are: Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Cochran, Colorado, Comanche, Coryell, Comal, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dallas, Dawson, De Witt, Dimmit, Duval, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, El Paso, Erath, Falls, Fayette, Fisher, Fort Bend, Frio, Gaines, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Harris, Haskell, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hudspeth, Irion, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox, Lampasas, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak, Lubbock, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Navarro, Nolan, Nueces, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Refugio, Runnels, San Patricio, Scurry, Schleicher, Shackelford, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata and Zavala. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 8/16/01).

  Houston, TX --- AFRICANIZED BEES DISCOVERED IN HOUSTON --- Africanized bees, otherwise known as killer bees, were discovered in Houston after a man mowing weeds was stung as many as 60 times. Harris County was added to the state quarantine list Thursday, which means that the movement of commercial bee operations has been restricted. A sample of bees taken from a 55-gallon barrel was analyzed and found to be Africanized. The barrel, at 9444 Ronda Lane, was disturbed July 27 when Johnny Money was mowing weeds. He was stung more than 60 times, according to Jackson. "The sample was later sent to the honey bee identification lab," Jackson said. "The follow-up investigation concluded Aug. 14 that Harris County should be quarantined." More than 130 counties in Texas are on the quarantine list, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent the spreading of the bees. (KPRC-TV 2 NEWS, CLICK2HOUSTON.COM, 8/16/01).

  El Cerrito, CA --- 'KILLER BEES' CALLED CULPRITS IN ATTACK ON FAMILY'S DOGS --- Suzette Manzares has no idea what species of bees attacked her six pit bulls but as far as she's concerned, they were killer bees. Two of her dogs died from a stinging swarm Friday while four others remained at a veterinary hospital Sunday. No one saw the attack and no dead bees were found near the dogs but the countless stingers left in their flesh left Manzares and her veterinarian with little doubt as to what happened. Vector control officials can only surmise the culprits to be Africanized honey bees, the so-called "killer bees." The venom of such bees is no stronger than other bees but they are far more aggressive when they swarm, said Paul Morrison, field supervisor for the Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District. Africanized honey bees killed two dogs in Rubidoux in the only other similar attack in the Inland Empire this year, he said. Morrison said there were no other reports of pets or people stung by bees in the El Cerrito area Friday. But Manzares' husband, Steve, said two neighbors told him they ran from bee swarms on Friday. The two dogs killed by the swarm at Manzares' home on Grant Street were both 8 years old and pure white, which Suzette Manzares said meant they had extra sensitive skin. Her other four dogs probably would have died had not the Acacia Animal Hospital in Corona been open after hours, Manzares said. Dr. Bart Huber, a veterinarian at the hospital, said the outlook is good for the four surviving pit bulls. "They are very buff dogs," he said. In 14 years of veterinary practice, Huber said he had never seen a worse bee attack on animals. "It apparently was a swarm looking for a new home that went through her yard," he said. Dogs often bite at the bees and swallow some, which sends the poison into their system much quicker than stings, he said. "Dog that swallow the bees always get sicker," Huber said. Manzares was gone from home at a water park between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday and does not know when the bee attack occurred. The dogs were kept in separate kennel enclosures outside and Manzares figured that each one was stung 1,000 times. One was already dead when she got home and the other died in her arms. Manzares had both dogs since they were puppies so "it was like losing family members," she said. Warlock, one of the surviving dogs, had recently won an award at a national dog show in Oregon in which pit bulls compete by pulling incredible amounts of weight, Manzares said. (Mike Kataoka, The Press-Enterprise, 8/13/01).

  Ahwatukee, AZ --- SWARM OF BEES STING REMOVERS --- Joe Schwoebel saw the hive Wednesday. An exterminator came Friday morning, but used a spray that seemed only to make the Africanized bees mad. Real mad. An estimated 60,000 bees, out to protect the 2-foot by 18-inch hive they had built under the eaves of Schwoebel's Ahwatukee home, went on a minor rampage that lasted through Friday afternoon. They stung Derek Taylor, an employee of AAA Africanized Bee Removal, sent out to kill the angry bees after the first exterminator's efforts failed. Taylor was stung about 50 times in a three-hour span; his partner, Geoff Campbell, was stung about 20 times. "As far them being (ticked) off, this is the worst I've seen," said Taylor, who has been fighting the bees for five years. "This is insane. I've never seen anything like this." Authorities say aggressive, Africanized bees should be treated with extreme caution: • Use state-licensed exterminators with experience removing the Africanized bees. • When working outside, have an escape plan in mind if a bee attack occurs. • If an attack begins, go inside a house or car and close the doors. Then deal with the bees already on you. (Judd Slivka, The Arizona Republic, 8/11/01).

  College Station, TX --- HOCKLEY, COCHRAN COUNTIES ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Hockley and Cochran counties were added Friday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees. The addition makes 136 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to John Fick, assistant chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. A sample of bees taken from managed hives were analyzed and found to be Africanized. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico. The Africanized bee was first detected in the United States near Brownsville in October 1990. Since then, the bee has spread through much of the state, along a line roughly from south of Houston to Lubbock to El Paso. Africanized honey bees also have been found in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. Counties included in the quarantine are: Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Cochran, Colorado, Comanche, Coryell, Comal, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dallas, Dawson, De Witt, Dimmit, Duval, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, El Paso, Erath, Falls, Fayette, Fisher, Fort Bend, Frio, Gaines, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Haskell, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hudspeth, Irion, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox, Lampasas, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak, Lubbock, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Navarro, Nolan, Nueces, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Refugio, Runnels, San Patricio, Scurry, Schleicher, Shackelford, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata and Zavala. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 8/4/01).

  Green Valley, AZ --- BEES ATTACK TREE TRIMMERS, RECREATION CENTER EVACUATED --- A trio of palm tree trimmers were attacked Wednesday by bees after the insects were disturbed in a tree that was being trimmed near the Las Campanas Center, a Green Valley Recreation facility. Emergency crews from the Green Valley Fire District and deputies from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene. Capt. Tom Louis reported that the three victims were tree trimmers from the Ocotillo Ranches area. “They saw a hole in a tree and thought it was a nest for a bird or something,” he said. “It turned out there were bees there.” The victims were identified as Philip Clark, 35; Matthew Clark, 19; and Dave Clark, 59. “The 59-year-old sustained 80-100 stings,” said Louis. “He did not have an allergic reactions and it did not affect his airway.” “The other two, the 35-year-old and the 19-year-old, both received less than 10 stings,” he added. All of the victims refused to be transported to Tucson for evaluation and possible treatment at a hospital. Firefighters then used compressed air foam to neutralize the swarming bees. “They went ahead and applied foam to the bees which essentially destroyed the bees,” Louis reported. Members of GVR were evacuated from the center. “A total of 12 people who were using the Las Campanas Recreation Center where this occurred, GVR members, were also evacuated from the premises,” Louis reported. Louis said the center was closed to allow professional exterminators to come in and determine if all of the bees had been destroyed. (Dave Ricker, Green Valley News and Sun, 8/3/01).

  Houston, TX --- MAN DIES IN FREAK BEE ATTACK --- A man may have died Tuesday from bee stings after a tree housing the swarm was disturbed. A tree limb with hundreds of bees fell onto a car that Peter Carver was standing next to on his property in Brookshire in Waller County. Investigators are now looking into whether the bees are what killed Carver, 58. Investigators from the Waller County Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene Wednesday afternoon, along with a representative from Texas A&M University. They are going to recover some of the bees and conduct tests on them. The tree branch snapped after heavy rains came pouring down in the area. When the branch fell, it shattered the windows of Carver's Lincoln and hit him with such force that it broke one of his legs. The bees began to swarm around Carver, leaving him helpless, according to witness Butch Orr. "I ran and grabbed him, and the bees attacked both arms and got in my face, and I couldn't see," Orr said. "I pried them off me and tried to pull him (to safety). When I looked down, I couldn't see his face. He was covered that quick." Witnesses told investigators that hundreds of bees attacked Carver, but there still has been no official cause of death. Some relatives are not convinced it was the bee stings that killed him. "It was the limb falling on him," Carver's son, John Karber, said. "The bees just aggravated the situation." Carver leaves behind six children and nine grandchildren. Carver's family, who live on the property on Peach Ridge Road, believe that the bees are honey bees, but they are not sure. Officials from the sheriff's department and the university will conduct tests to determine if the bees are Africanized. (WPRC Click2Houston.com, 8/1/01).

  Mesa, AZ --- BEE-WARE: AFRICANIZED 'KILLERS' READY TO SWARM --- Only the most aggressive strains have survived the drought that ended last fall, one expert warns. Exterminators have removed three massive colonies of Africanized "killer" bees in recent days and experts say the number of potentially lethal beehives could increase during the monsoon season. "They'll be swarming through the monsoon," said Virl Dowdy, vice president of the Central Arizona Beekeepers Association. "Any day now, they'll start swarming, and people will find them where they haven't been before." Only the most aggressive strains of Africanized bees have survived the drought that ended last fall, said Tom Martin, president of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists. This survival of the fittest has left Arizona with a batch of bees so aggressive some even sting through exterminators' thick suits. Martin said the larger a colony is, the more aggressive the bees become. "The population size of each of these colonies is much, much larger than it was a year ago," he said. "The risk of having a severe and fatal attack is significantly increased." Colonies are more likely to develop near canals, drainage ditches, retention basins and other waterways because bees like to travel near water, Martin said. Exterminators on Saturday destroyed a hive that had about 75,000 bees in it. Another hive in Tempe had about 48,000 bees. Dowdy said one large colony can reproduce and create three or four medium-sized colonies in a matter of months. "They don't swarm when there's a drought," Dowdy said. "They just accumulate and wait. They hold back. Then when they sense rain, they swarm." (AP, 7/30/01).

  Phoenix, AZ --- TWO MORE 'KILLER' BEE COLONIES DESTROYED --- Bee removal specialists were busy again Sunday, destroying about 75,000 Africanized honey bees in Phoenix and a slightly smaller colony in Tempe. Heavy foliage that protected a home near Indian School Road and 52nd Street in Phoenix concealed a 175-pound hive from view. It was discovered underneath an eave by homeowner Melvin Kroepel, who was stung once in the foot. The honeycomb, broken into pieces and dripping with honey and pesticides, was taken to a designated dumping site in Queen Creek. It was about the same size as a hive found last week in the back yard of a Mesa home. In Tempe, workers destroyed another hive containing about 50,000 Africanized bees at a stucco home on West Fifth Street between Roosevelt Street and Mill Avenue. It also was under an eave. "I look at those things like a time bomb. I don''t want anyone to get hurt," said Richard Fisher, who has owned the Tempe home since 1968. Landscapers called him after they found the hive. "This is an epidemic," said Tom Martin, president of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists, adding that his workers have responded to 10 times as many calls as last year. "I''ve been doing this for 37 years, and I''m scared," he went on to say. Officials from the Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission could not be reached for comment Sunday. The latest string of stings is due to more aggressive, harder-to-kill Africanized bees. These "super-Africanized" bees survived a dry winter in 1999 and are breeding all over the Valley. "We noticed something was very different last fall," Martin said. "People and animals were getting stung more in each incident, and with more frequency." Queen Africanized bees can lay up to 1,500 eggs a day, with parent colonies raising swarms of as many as 12,000 bees. Part of the population then splits off into other colonies, taking over hives built by less aggressive bees such as the European honeybee. Arizona summers typically are the peak months for bee attacks because of a honey shortage, which makes the bees more protective of their prized sweet stuff. Martin said the incidents could continue to peak through October. Seven bee stings per pound is usually lethal, according to the American Medical Association. However, some people react more profoundly than others. A Phoenix man was sent to the hospital on July 8 after he was stung about 300 times. He has since recovered. Residents are advised to tour their property once a week looking for bee activity, especially in tree boughs and eaves. They should not try to remove the bees themselves; qualified specialists should be contacted immediately. (Adam Klawonn, The Arizona Republic, 7/29/01).

  Aliso Viejo, CA --- BEES SWARM WORKERS, SENDING ONE TO HOSPITAL --- A swarm of bees attacked a group of construction workers in Aliso Viejo Friday, sending one man to the hospital and prompting officials to order tests to determine whether the insects were Africanized honeybees. Paramedics treated seven people who suffered multiple stings, and several others who were stung refused care, said Capt. Kirk Summers of the Orange County Fire Authority. The bees swarmed about 11:20 a.m. after a construction worker disturbed their hive inside an empty storage container in the 26600 block of Laguna Hills Drive. One of the workers took the brunt of the attack and collapsed after trying to run for cover. "The man who went to the hospital had 10 stings, and he had some other medical problems that paramedics were worried would be aggravated by the stings," Summers said. The worker, who was not identified, was taken to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, where he was treated and released. Samples of the insects were to be sent to Orange County Vector Control to determine whether they were Africanized bees, said Steve Doan, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. No determination had been made as of late Friday. Bee swarms are common in Orange County, which has been deemed a colonization area for Africanized bees, said Steve Hill, deputy agricultural commissioner for the county. In 1999, a beekeeper in Long Beach became the first Californian to be killed by Africanized bees after he bumped a hive while mowing his lawn. The so-called "killer bees" are more aggressive than other bees and can kill humans and animals. Although such aggressive behavior by the more common European honeybees is unusual, officials said they too can be overly defensive of their hives.-- In Friday's attack, three of the construction workers caught in the swarm ran to a neighboring computer warehouse for help, only to be pursued by the bees. Joe Blandino, a warehouse supervisor at QLogic, a computer component manufacturer, saw them coming. "The first guy was out of breath and yelling and we couldn't understand him," Blandino said. "He had hundreds of bees on him and was already being stung. We started patting him down and physically fighting the bees. Then another one of his buddies ran in, and he had bees all over him. "We shut the doors so that no more bees could get in, and then we saw the third guy banging on the door, so we dragged him in." Blandino, who is allergic to bee stings, and six other QLogic workers used their shirts to fight off the bees, he said. One employee tried pouring water on the construction workers, but the tactic quickly backfired. "The bees got even madder," Blandino said. "It was like a movie. It was unbelievable. . . . The bees were fighting back." Blandino said he and his co-workers moved the three men into another area of the warehouse, hoping to leave at least some of the bees behind. Then one of the men collapsed, he said. "It looked like he was going into shock," Blandino said. "We got him some pillows and tried to keep him warm, and that's when the paramedics arrived." Africanized bees are almost identical to their European counterparts, and both die after they lose their stingers. The "killer bee" moniker refers to the Africanized variety's temperament. Generally they are more easily provoked, attack in large numbers and have been known to pursue people up to half a mile. Complaints about bees have doubled since officials first declared a year ago that Orange County had been "colonized" by Africanized bees. The term means the bees are considered permanent residents, ending any hope of eradication. They were first spotted in Southern California in 1998. Within a few years, officials say the Africanized bees are likely to replace ordinary European honeybees throughout the region. (Tina Borgatta, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 7/28/01).

  Las Vegas, NV --- BEEMASTER ALLERGIC TO HIS BUSINESS --- The Las Vegas Beemaster's business wasn't buzzing with activity this spring. That's not because there weren't plenty of bee-hives to remove. It's because he became allergic to his business.....literally. But he's suiting up for the "sweet smells" of success again. He's careful to cover his body and his face, to protect himself. Because now the Beemaster is "pumping up" his business again. Rodney Mehring was climbing "the ladder of success" in the bee-removal business for the last ten years. But then he suddenly developed allergies after being stung one night this spring. Rodney Mehring, the Beemaster says, "I was probably stung that night 50-60 times in about an hour and that's when I started having some strange reactions." The reaction included tingling in his hands and feet, peeling of his skin and serious respiratory problems. It was more than just a "sticky situation." Rodney Mehring, the Beemaster says, "then when I started getting stung in my hands and arms where I've been stung for years without any problems, that's when I started getting concerned. That's why I went to the doctor." The first doctor told him that he'd have to sell his business because his newly developed allergies would prevent him from staying healthy. But he got a second opinion and then Mehring and his business got "a shot in the arm"...literally. Twice a week he gets an injection of bee venom to build up his tolerance to the sting. The shots are working because he's not getting sick any longer. So now the Beemaster is busy as a bee with business again...and he's tasting the sweet smell of success. (KLAS-TV 8 Las Vegas, 7/28/01).

  Las Vegas, NV --- KILLER BEES JOIN IN VALLEY POPULATION BOOM --- The population boom in the valley has led the nation the past few years. Now people here are noticing another new arrival that's not so welcome. Africanized or so-called "Killer Bees" were first discovered here about four years ago. They've been blamed for the deaths of a few dogs, horses, and livestock and but while there have been reported "Killer Bee" attacks on humans, no one has died. This morning we spoke with Bee Expert Rodney Mehring who rids homes of flying pests including Africanized Bees. He see's more "Killer Bees" these days than the European Bee's that most of us have become familiar with. One reason is that Africanized bee's reproduce at a much quicker rate than their European counterpart. This morning we were LIVE at a wild swarm hanging on the side of a cliff and Mehring estimates some thirty thousand "Killer Bees" were inside that hive alone. Mehring says the important thing for people to know is that "Killer Bees" will only attack if they feel threatened. Most attacks happen when someone stumbles across a hive or intentionally tries to destroy it. In fact, he says the bees will actually worn you they are upset by flying and bumping into your head and face without stinging you. But if you don't take their buzzing serious that's when they strike. It takes about ten stings per pound to kill a human. For instance, it would take 1,500 stings to kill a 150 pound person. Although that may sound like a lot, a hive like we saw today could potentially house enough bee's to kill twenty people that size. The most important thing according to the Bee Master is, if you find any at your home, call a professional to take care of the problem. This is a story you first saw LIVE on Fox 5 News Daybreak, weekdays beginning at 5am. (Chris Williams, FOX5 NEWS KVVU-TV Las Vegas, 7-27-01).

  Mesa, AZ --- 'KILLER' BEES GET COMFY IN VALLEY --- Pam Raman, 45, wasn't too happy with the buzz she picked up in her Dobson Ranch neighborhood earlier this week. It was the sound of about 75,000 Africanized bees that had made a hive in the back yard next door to her Mesa home. The colony, which was discovered Sunday, was removed Thursday. And Tom Martin, president of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists, said the removal came not a minute too soon. He called the colony one of the most dangerous he has seen. "It's not necessarily the largest I've seen, but it's one of the largest I've seen out in the open," Martin said. Derek Taylor, field manager for AAA, said that, if provoked, a colony that size could have killed several people. The hive, 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep, had been home to the aggressive "killer" bees that have killed more than 1,000 people in North America since they began moving north from Brazil in 1956. The crew began spraying a calming pheromone agent on the bees Sunday to prepare for the two-hour extermination. AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists has received more than 10 times more calls than a year ago in Tucson and Phoenix, where it has offices. According to Martin, the increase in bee colonies and injuries results from droughts in 1999 and 2000, which killed off normal Africanized bees. Only stronger, more aggressive "superkiller" bees survived and are quickly reproducing after the abundant winter rains. In the past two weeks, AAA reported more than five victims in Tucson and Phoenix who had been stung more than 300 times. "The problem is going to get a lot worse," Martin said. He advises homeowners to inspect their properties at least once a week, especially around trees and for holes any place where the bees could hide. Dr. Justin Schmidt, a researcher of entomology for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Tucson, said, "This is the biggest year as far as the Africanized bee problem goes." (William Wan, The Arizona Republic, 7/27/01).

  Pahrump, NV --- HORSE KILLED, MAN HURTATTACKS --- One horse is dead and two others are injured after a swarm of killer bees attacked them outside Las Vegas, and an Arizona man is recovering after he was stung more than 200 times outside his home. Swarms of killer bees struck twice over the weekend, killing a horse and seriously injuring two others in one attack in Nevada, and hospitalizing a man with hundreds of stings in an attack in Arizona. In Pahrump, Nev., outside of Las Vegas, the bees attacked from a normally peaceful bee farm across the street from a corral, where a horrified a trainer watched as they swarmed around three horses. "It sounded like a woman screaming at the top of her lungs," Yvonne Smith said. "It was terrible. It was something to raise the hair on the back of your neck." Smith ran across the street, grabbed a beekeeper's hat and tried to stop the attack, but the swarm was overwhelming, covering the horses like a blanket. Some of the bees attacked her, as well. "Once the action started, well, then it was just all over the place. Anything that was moving, they were going after," beekeeper Pat O'Neill said. One of the two other horses that were injured in the incident was said to be clinging to life, his face still riddled with stingers. Neighbors said they had never had any problems with the bee farm before, and the viciousness of the attack shocked the beekeeper, who found the next day that all his honey bees had been killed. He said it was likely that Africanized bees had taken over his hives. In Tucson, Ariz., a 64-year-old man was stung more than 200 times over 15 minutes before rescuers were able to drive the bees off. "I couldn't swat them off fast enough, I couldn't wash them off," William Anderson said. "They pulled three bees out of my ears. They had gone that deep into the ear that there were three of them in there." The attack started when he was out in his garden and a bee flew into the back of his head. "I thought, 'Boy, that was an aggressive bee.' I swatted it and knocked it on the floor," he said. The bee was not alone, though. In an instant Anderson was engulfed in a swarm of angry insects that attacked his face, head and arms. He was saved when police officers and a paramedic sprayed the bees with soap and water. Tom Martin of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists told the Tucson Citizen that tests on the insects confirmed that they were Africanized bees. Anderson was treated at St. Mary's hospital to relieve the swelling of his tongue, mouth and throat and was given pain relievers, then held for observation, according to a spokesman for the Rural/Metro District Fire Department. (ABCNEWS.com, 7/23/01).

  Tucson, AZ ---MAN TREATED FOR BEE STINGS RELEASED --- A 64-year-old man was released from a hospital Saturday after being treated for about 250 bee stings. William Anderson was taken to St. Mary's Hospital after he was stung on the head, face, neck, chest and upper arms Friday night outside his home at 4720 W. Arivaca Road, said George Good, Rural/Metro Fire Department spokesman. He said fire crews arrived at the home at 3:30 p.m., killed the bees and took them to a lab, where they were confirmed to be Africanized. On Friday, Anderson was in "bad shape" with welts and a swollen tongue, Good said. A St. Mary's nursing supervisor said he was released Saturday. Tom Martin, president of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists, said dry weather in 1999 and 2000 killed many bees, leaving the more aggressive Africanized bees to grow in volume this year due to rains. (Arizona Daily Star, 7/22/01).

  Tucson, AZ --- MAN STUNG BY 300 BEES --- Another bee attack, this time in Tucson. A man attacked by bees at his home has been hospitalized. Sixty-four-year-old William Anderson swatted at a bee in the yard of his rural Tucson residence near Interstate 19 and then was attacked within seconds. Fire Battalion Chief George Good says Anderson was in pretty bad shape, but he is expected to recover. (KVOC-TV 4 Tucson Interactive, 7/21/01).

  Lubbock, TX --- DISCOVERY OF 'KILLER BEES' PROMPTS QUARANTINE OF OPERATIONS IN LUBBOCK --- The confirmation of Africanized or "killer bees" in Lubbock County led to a quarantine Thursday of the county's commercial bee operations. Lubbock becomes the 134th county placed under quarantine in Texas. The quarantine prevents commercial bee keepers from moving hives to places outside the county. The presence of the Africanized bees in Lubbock and nearby counties was announced Thursday by officials with Texas Tech and the Texas A&M Ag Extension Service. "We want people to become aware of bees and recognize potentially Africanized bees in order to prevent stinging incidents," said Pat Porter, district entomologist with A&M's extension service. Porter and Marilyn Houck, an associate professor of biological sciences at Texas Tech, spoke Thursday to inform the public about honey bees and Africanized honey bees. An attack during the last week of May at 61st Street and Elgin Avenue led to Lubbock's confirmation. One person, who was not seriously injured, was involved in the incident, and dogs received multiple stings. The bee colony was eliminated, but some insects were collected and identified at Tech. Africanized bees are essentially the same as the common European honey bee but are more aggressive. The bees will follow people for up to a quarter of a mile, may remain agitated for 24 hours or more and their attacks can last for two hours, Houck said. A sting will be followed by 10 to 15 seconds of intense pain and then swelling, Houck said. The stings are not deadly unless a person is in the 1 percent of the population that is systemically allergic, or unless a large number of stings occur. Only eight people have died from bee stings in the United States since 1990, while 78 have been killed by dogs. The sting is suicidal for the bees because it tears out a portion of their abdomens, Porter said. They sting only once. The stinger is left in the skin. Africanized bees can make homes in anything — a soda can, cracks in the wall, attics, eves of houses and poles on playground equipment. Swatting at Africanized bees worsens the situation and squirting insect repellent does not help, she said. A Web site, http://lubbock.tamu.edu/ahb, has been set up to inform people about Africanized bees on the South Plains. Houck and Porter will answer questions about bees from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. today on KRFE (580 AM). (Sebastian Kitchen, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 7/20/01).

  College Station, TX --- LUBBOCK COUNTY ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Lubbock County was added Thursday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees in Lubbock. The addition makes 134 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. A sample of Africanized honey bees taken from abandoned hives near 62nd Street and Elgin Avenue. A beekeeper and a couple of dogs were stung. "A sample was analyzed in a lab at Texas Tech University," Jackson said. "We accepted those results and are quarantining Lubbock County." Jackson said inspectors presently are running the state's traplines full-time because bee activity has increased with the warm weather. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees, but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico, Jackson noted. The Africanized bee was first detected entering the United States near Brownsville in October 1990. Since then, the bee has spread through much of the state, along a line roughly from south of Houston to south of Lubbock to El Paso. Africanized honey bees also have been found in Arizona, California and New Mexico. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 7/19/01).

  Las Vegas, NV --- BEE PROBLEM GROWING IN VALLEY --- There have been several bee atacks in recent months. And experts say we should all be forewarned -- the Valley's problems with killer bees are expected to get worse. By most accounts, this season is expected to be one of the worst for Clark County residents. Frequent rains and the abundance of food means even more of a problem with killer bees. Experts want Valley residents to be aware of the bee problem, and yet they don't want people living in fear. They say this is the time to check around your house and around your yard for bee colonies. Experts suggest you look under the lid of your sprinkler box for bee hives. Also, keep a close eye on roof overhangs to make sure a colony is not building there. (KLAS-TV CBS 8 Eyewitness News, 7/19/01).

  Tucson, AZ --- BEE ON THE LOOKOUT --- Winter rains have provided prime bee-breeding conditions according to Bee experts. They say Arizonans face a greater risk of being swarmed by angry Africanized bees this summer. Two recent bee attacks in the Phoenix area highlighted the coming problem. In one incident, a 52-year-old man was stung 150 times while working in his yard in northeast Phoenix. In the other, a 53-year-old Apache Junction man was stung some 300 times. The University of Arizona Extension Service has some helpful tips regarding encounters with Africanized honeybees:
     If you discover a hive near your home, keep children and pets indoors and contact an exterminator.
     If you get attacked and stung, run away from the hive; don't play dead or swat at the bees.
     Go immediately inside a building or vehicle.
     Pull your shirt over your head to protect eyes, nose and mouth where bees tend to target stings.
     Do not jump into a swimming pool or otherwise try to immerse yourself in water.
     Seek immediate medical attention if you receive more than a dozen or so stings.
     Remain calm and in cooled indoor conditions.
     Remove any stingers imbedded in the skin.
     Do not take any medication without a physicians advice. If you are prone to allergic reactions to bee stings.
     Consult a physician about a preventative anti-venom first-aid kit.
Dr. Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman is an entomologist at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson. She says all Arizona residents should be on the lookout for bees this summer. Her advice is that if you see a lot of bees, call an expert.(AP, KVOC-TV4 Tucson, 7/11/01).

  Phoenix, AZ --- PHOENIX MAN ON THE MEND FROM 300 BEE STINGS --- Charles "Steve" Handy is being pushed around in a hospital wheelchair, his body still weak from being stung 300 times by Africanized bees last weekend. His skin is swollen. His voice quavers and he won't be able to work for another week. But all he cares about is that his son wasn't out there, mowing the back lawn a few feet away from a bustling hive. "(C.J.) normally does the yard," he said, choking back tears. "I'm so thankful it happened to me and not to him." Still in pain, he painted a picture of a routine Sunday morning of yard work that quickly turned to chaos. He'd been in the yard for part of the morning, including right around the hive, he later would discover. He had even revved up a chain saw to trim trees without disturbing the bees. But it was when he started a ride-on mower that the first bee flew past his head. "I swatted at him and it was just seconds and I was covered," Handy said. He ran toward the house but didn't want to bring the bees inside, where his son was sleeping. Instead, he went to a hose and tried to wash them away. When C.J., 14, heard his dad's screams and came outside, Handy shooed him back in. "I told him to get back inside because the bees were everywhere," he said. A few minutes later, firefighters arrived, got the bees out of Handy's throat, and rushed him to the hospital. The first few hours were critical because the venom could easily stop Handy's breathing as it seeped into his bloodstream. His doctor, Abraham Sayegh, said Handy is "extremely lucky." "He needs rest, a little TLC, and he's not allowed to mow his lawn for about a month," Sayegh joked. The aftermath of the attack spread past Handy's back yard. At least one neighbor, her dog and one of Handy's dogs were stung, but will recover. The other, a terrier-schnauzer mix named Armani, was killed by the bees. "One dog was bigger and knew to run away," said Handy's wife, Debbie. "Armani stuck next to Steve through the whole thing." A bee removal service found the hive later that day, along with an estimated 50,000 bees. It was a horrible experience for the Handy family, but there has been one benefit. Long-lost friends and family have called. That includes two of his children whom he hadn't spoken to in six years. For the father of seven and longtime Phoenix resident, those types of payoffs help keep things in perspective. "I'm doing OK today and it hasn't been a whole lot of fun," he said Tuesday. But, he added, "I'm going to survive." (Ashley Bach, The Arizona Republic, 7/11/01).

  Phoenix, AZ --- 1 PESKY BEE BECOMES A STINGING NIGHTMARE --- What began as a good day for yard work ended in a trip to the hospital Sunday for Charles "Steve" Handy, 52, who was stung by bees more than 150 times in what fire officials called the weirdest bee sting incident in the Valley in 20 years. The Phoenix man was riding his lawnmower in his back yard in the 3500 block of East Danbury Road around 9 a.m. when he swatted a pesky bee away. The Africanized bee, and hundreds of its friends, came back and attacked Handy, stinging him and flying into his mouth and down his throat, fire officials said. He was stung so many times firefighters quit counting the welts. The bees moved on and attacked a neighbor, who scrubbed the stingers off, and her dog. Handy's son, C.J., was sleeping inside the home when he heard his dad's cries for help. "I was going to mow the yard and my dad was going to trim the bushes," said C.J., 14. "What a way to spend a Sunday." One of the family's two dogs may have been stung and was missing. The hive was found a few hours later in a fence just 15 feet away. The honeycomb was about 6 feet high and probably held about 50,000 bees, said Thomas Martin, president of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists in Phoenix. Africanized honey bees, which were imported by Brazilian scientists in the 1950s, are extremely aggressive and unpredictable, Martin said. June and July are peak months for attacks, since colonies enlist more bees to guard honey, which is harder to come by in drier months. Two years of drought has left only the most aggressive colonies in the Valley, Martin said. He's received more than 10 times the calls for bee incidents this year than last. Handy was listed in guarded condition Sunday afternoon at Columbia Paradise Valley Hospital. Reporter Ashley Bach contributed to this story. (Adam Klawonn, The Arizona Republic, 7/9/01).

  Port Everglades, FL --- SWARM OF KILLER BEES FOUND ON CRUISE SHIP --- A swarm of killer bees was destroyed at Port Everglades after being discovered aboard a cruise ship returning from Mexico, state agriculture officials said Friday. The bees were discovered on the outdoor basketball court of the Grand Princess just before it completed a seven-day swing through the western Caribbean. The area was cordoned off, and no passengers were stung, said Denise Seomin, spokeswoman for Princess Cruise Lines. Killer bees, which originated in Africa, get their name from their highly aggressive behavior. They will attack without provocation and pursue their human and animal victims over long distances. First introduced to Brazil in the 1950s, they have spread north into the southwestern United States and Mexico, where the Grand Princess had made two stops. Cruise employees and dock workers in Florida ports are trained to watch for the bees because the ports are likely points of entry, said Laurence Cutts, assistant chief of plant and apiary inspection with the Florida Department of Agriculture. The bees were discovered on June 23 after the ship stopped in the Mexican ports of Costa Maya and Cozumel. When the ship docked, a state agriculture inspector sprayed the bees with pesticide to kill them. There were 8,000 to 10,000 bees, Cutts said. "That's a pretty-good-sized swarm of bees," he said. DNA tests confirmed that they were killer bees. Since 1983, swarms of killer bees have been discovered 28 times in Florida. The last time a swarm was found at Port Everglades was in 1999. They have been discovered twice this year, at the ports of Jacksonville and Miami. The state operates an extensive detection system, consisting of hives treated with chemicals to attract any killer bees in the area. Broward County has 20 such hives. Once killer bees invade a new area, they mate with the native bees and take over their hives. So far, it appears that no killer bees have made it though the state's security web, based on surveys of known local beehives, Cutts said. "There's always that chance," he said. "There's no way we can say we've been 100 percent successful. But we can say it with a high degree of confidence because we have not found any in managed colonies in the state." (David Fleshler, Staff Writer, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/7/01).

  San Antonio, TX --- BEES LAY SEIGE ON SW SIDE --- A swarm of angry bees attacked five dogs and kept police officers, firefighters and a Southwest Side neighborhood at bay for nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon on Ghost Hawk Drive. In the end, a few splashes of soapy water eradicated the honeybees, the most common type of bees in the city. Two of the five pit bulls that were attacked appeared to be in bad shape Wednesday; they were left staggering, wheezing and bleeding heavily from their wounds. Several people also were stung, but there were no serious injuries. An apian expert with the Metropolitan Health District warned that while San Antonio is nearing the end of bee season, residents should be cautious through the summer. The two-hour standoff with the bees began shortly after 1 p.m. when several family members living in the 5300 block of Ghost Hawk Drive began cleaning their yard and apparently disturbed a nest of bees nearby. Within seconds, the bees zeroed in on Juan De La Rosa and his brother Armando. "Man, my brother's (orange) shirt was completely black with bees," Juan said. "They were everywhere." The two brothers and their father dashed to a water hose and began washing themselves down. In the meantime, the bees went after five dogs that were chained to a tree at the house next door. "Their screams sounded like they were being killed," said the dogs' owner, John Torres. Family members called 911 while Torres ran to save his dogs, but the cloud of insects drove him back, stinging him several times. The De La Rosa brothers jumped the fence into their neighbor's yard to help Torres in a second attempt to rescue the dogs. While most were able to break away when they were released from their chains, Torres had to carry 3-year-old Moonshine across the street, where she spent the afternoon bleeding and staggering. "I don't know if she's going to make it," Torres said as he kept a water hose running on the wheezing dog, lying on her side. "She doesn't look good at all." Rescue workers had to wait for the bees to settle down. Then they spent about 20 minutes trying to locate the nest, while an off-duty bee expert was summoned. Police urged residents to stay inside their homes, including a family that was celebrating Independence Day with a barbecue nearby. Many of the residents, however, were too intrigued by the commotion to seek cover. "They don't understand how dangerous these bees could be," firefighter Joe Benavides said. "Whenever something like this happens, it is very important that you go inside your home. We don't want to end up rescuing a person because they refused to listen to us." About 90 minutes after the initial attack, bee man John Jandourek arrived. Jandourek, a vector control officer with the Metropolitan Health District, found the bees nesting inside a broken stereo speaker in an alley behind the De La Rosa residence. Jandourek doused the nest. "It's just soap," Jandourek said. "People are always surprised when we tell them it's just soap." Officials respond to one or two calls a day during bee season. "The best advice is to just leave them alone and call someone," Jandourek said. "Don't mess with them. They're not nice at all." (Ihosvani Rodriguez, San Antonio Express-News, 7/5/2001).

  Brazos County, TX --- KILLER BEES FOUND IN BRAZOS COUNTY --- A killer bee stands Tuesday where it died after being sprayed with incecticide along with thousands of its nest-mates after the swarm attacked a resident in Brazos County. State officials said Tuesday they have confirmed the presence of Africanized or “killer” bees in Brazos County, more than a decade after the insects first entered Texas. The county joins 132 others under a state quarantine that restricts movement of commercial bee populations where the Africanized variety has been detected. Residents should not panic, officials urged, but should be cautious when outside and watch for bee swarms and hives. Authorities discovered a nest of Africanized bees after a man in western Brazos County was stung in June outside his home. Joe LaBarbere, an elderly man who lives near the intersection of F.M. 1687 and F.M. 50, was stung as many as 20 times while cleaning debris near a tree where the bees were nesting. He was treated and has since recovered. Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, was notified of the attack and killed the colony with insecticide. Testing at Texas A&M University’s Honey Bee Identification Lab confirmed the bees were of the Africanized variety. LaBarbere was unavailable for comment. Africanized bees look like domestic or European honey bees, but are more aggressive in defending their hives. When they sense they’re threatened, they often attack in groups and can inflict dozens or even hundreds of stings within minutes. Texas A&M entomologist Paul Jackson stands Tuesday by the tree in Brazos County that was home to a swarm of killer bees that attacked a resident. The bees are the 1st dectected In Brazos County. It is unknown whether Africanized bees are nesting elsewhere in the county. None have been collected in bee traps monitored by the inspection service, which is part of the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station. The bees that stung LaBarbere lived in a 10-foot hive in a hollow tree about 20 feet from his front door. Jackson said it was originally a European nest and was used for at least four years. The Africanized bees probably moved in late last year or early this year. The colony probably included more than 7,000 bees, Jackson said. For commercial beekeepers, the quarantine means they need to obtain a permit from the Apiary Inspection Service before moving any bees out of the county. They also need certification that their colonies are European stock. Jackson said no commercial beekeepers operate in Brazos County. The quarantine also serves as an alert for county residents: Once bees have been detected, they’re here to stay and proper precautions should be taken. Tanya Pankiw, a Texas A&M entomology professor and honey bee expert, said the detection of the bees shouldn’t cause panic. "It was just a matter of time before African bees arrived in Brazos County," she said. However, Brazos County residents should be cautious when outside, Pankiw said. Don’t try to exterminate a colony with store-bought pesticides, she advised. Some poisons can incite aggressiveness in the bees. Instead, keep a watchful eye for bees. It’s impossible to tell the difference between the two types of bees just by looking. So when a nest is located, call an exterminator. If attacked by bees, run away immediately, experts advise. Find a building or car for shelter. Do not jump into water, because the bees will be waiting when you come up for air. People with known bee allergies should be especially careful. Africanized bees like to live under mobile homes, near water meters, in trees, inside walls and under flower pots. That can put them in close proximity with people, who indirectly make food, water and shelter more available to bees. Africanized bees also tend to move about more than European bees, creating a higher potential for contact with humans. Africanized bees regularly abscond, which is the process of abandoning an old nest to seek a new home. Absconding is different from swarming, which occurs when a colony divides into two or more new colonies. Pankiw offered suggestions for bee-proofing property. Look for cracks and holes in houses and other buildings that might lead to wall cavities, which a colony could occupy. Screen or caulk those holes, or fill the cavities with insulation. Then, bees won’t move in. Clean up debris — such as inverted pots and pails — and plug tree holes that could provide nest sites. A good rule of thumb: If bees have nested in a spot before, chances are another colony will move in, Pankiw said. LaBarbere’s home is in a rural part of Brazos County. It’s hard to predict whether Africanized bees will move to more urban areas, including Bryan, College Station and the Texas A&M campus. "If they want to go into town and take up housekeeping, they’ll do it," Jackson said. “If they don’t want to, they won’t.” Bee experts believe a parasitic mite has helped speed the spread of Africanized bees in the United States, Pankiw said. The mite has decimated European populations while the Africanized colonies have pushed northward. This gave the African bee an opportunity to move into abandoned European nest sites. Africanized bees were first detected in Texas near Brownsville in 1990 and have since spread through more than half the state. Nearby Lee and Burleson counties, along with Brazoria County to the south, were quarantined earlier this year. The bees also have been found in Arizona, California and New Mexico. (John LeBAS, Eagle Staff Writer, The Bryan/College Station Eagle, 7/4/2001).

  Angleton, TX --- BRAZOS COUNTY ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Brazos County was added Tuesday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees near Bryan. The addition makes 133 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. A colony of Africanized honey bees was found in a large tree near the intersection of farm-to-market roads 1687 and 50. Joe LaBarbere, who lives on the property where the hive was located, was stung as many as 20 times June 25 when he attempted to mow near the tree and remove a limb that had fallen in a wind storm. He received medical attention and has recovered. Jackson killed the hive which began about 1 foot from the ground and extended 10 feet up through the tree's interior. "A sample was collected and taken to Texas A&M's Honey Bee Identification Lab, where it was confirmed Monday as Africanized," Jackson said. Jackson said inspectors presently are running the state's traplines full-time because bee activity has increased with the warm weather. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees, but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico, Jackson noted. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 7/3/01).

  San Bernardino County, CA --- MULTIPLE STINGS MAKE AFRICANIZED HONEY BEES A THREAT --- The Press-Enterprise published a concise and informative review of Africanized honey bees in their HOME AND GARDEN section of their newspaper today. Click here for a link to the feature article. (Mike Schwartz, The Inland Empire Press-Enterprise, 6/30/01).

  San Diego, CA --- BEES HIVES SWARMING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY --- Pest control companies are busy battling bees throughout San Diego County, 10News reported. Since spring, bees have been taking flight in swarms in search for new homes. Now, homeowners are finding hives around their houses, usually in nearby trees. Steve McKay, a pest control expert, recommends having a professional remove any hives. "We had an overabundance of rain this year and that means more flowers bloomed and more bees," he said. San Diego County officials say that Africanized honey bees have been in San Diego for two years and over half the hives that are knocked down are Africanized. Residents concerned about bee hives can call the San Diego County bee hotline at (800) 200-2337. (KGTV-10, TheSanDiegoChannel.com, 6/27/01).

  Corpus Christi, TX --- BEES ATTACK CORPUS CHRISTI BOY AND MOTHER --- A Corpus Christi boy and his mother were attacked by a swarm of bees this morning. It happened around 11 am on the 4500 block of Molina, while the mother was mowing the lawn. The bees had apparently formed a colony in the rear wall of the house, and were stirred up by the noise and vibrations from the lawn mower. The boy was stung about half a dozen times, the mother a couple of dozen times. Both are said to be doing okay. Vector control was called out to spray the hive. (STAFF, KRIS-TV NEWS 6, 6/26/01).

  Lubbock, TX --- 'KILLER BEES' FOUND IN AREA BUT NOT IN CITY --- Entomologists have confirmed the presence of Africanized honey bees, also known as "killer bees," on the South Plains, but no stings have been traced to the insect in Lubbock County. Lubbock is surrounded by counties where Africanized honey bees have been confirmed, Brant Baugh of the Texas Agriculture Extension Service told Lubbock County commissioners Monday. The bees, which are closely related to the European honeys bees that people are accustomed to, have been confirmed in Cottle, King, Scurry, Borden, Dawson and Gaines counties, according to the Texas Aviary Inspection Service. Cottle and King were confirmed recently — both in 2000. Dawson's confirmation came as early as 1994. Although the Africanized bees have not been confirmed in great numbers in West Texas, they can be found in "most of the southern part of the state," said Pat Porter, and entomologist with the Texas Agriculture Extension Service. The main difference between the European bees and their African relatives is behavior. "Africanized bees are extremely aggressive," Porter said. Other than behavior, the differences are small, Porter said. Only one lab in Texas is certified to test the bees to declare if they are Africanized. After a sting last year, a sample of bees from Lubbock County was sent to the lab at Texas A&M in College Station. The sample size was not large enough to make a determination of the bees' breed. The report said the bees showed evidence of some Africanization, Porter said. The "killer" in the name is highly exaggerated, according to the Texas A&M agriculture news Web site. "In isolated instances, people and animals have been stung to death," the Web site said. The bees do not travel in large swarms searching for victims to attack. The bees attack in defense when they feel threatened. The bees have been migrating north from South America since the 1950s. People in South America have dealt with the bees for "several decades without great difficulty," the Web site said. (Sebastian Kitchen, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 6/26/01).

  Burbank, CA --- BEES SWARM CAR IN BURBANK ---- KCBS Channel 2 News reported today Burbank firefighters were called to the scene where hundreds of bees swarmed outside a grocery store on Sunday. A man spotted the bees swarmed around the trunk of a parked Volvo and called firefighters who extinguished the bees, then finished them off with foam. Firefighters said they had never seen anything like it. The owner of the car had reportedly just washed his car and used some sort of coconut solution, which may have attracted the bees. Bee handlers were to investigate the area Monday. (Channel 2000, CBS 2 News, 6/25/01).

  Tucson, AZ --- BEES FORCE CITY TO CLOSE GOLF COURSE FOR DAY --- A Northwest Side golf course was evacuated and closed Saturday morning after bees stung golfers and city employees. About 100 golfers were evacuated from Silverbell Golf Course, 3600 N. Silverbell Road, at about 10 a.m. after bees swarmed a group of golfers, stinging two, said Capt. Joe Gulotta of the Tucson Fire Department. The bees then swarmed around other players and stung several employees at the city-owned golf course, Gulotta said. No one was seriously injured. Those who were stung were evaluated at the golf course and released, said Gulotta. The bees came from an underground water valve box on a fairway and were probably disturbed by the sound of golf carts, said Terry Anderson, head of risk management for the city. Anderson was stung several times while evaluating the threat posed by the bees. Until then, he was going to recommend the course stay open. Employees sprayed foam on the box and a professional bee removal company was hired to dispose of the bees, Gulotta said. (Adam Borowitz, Staff Writer, Arizona Daily Star, 6/24/01).

  Brenham, TX --- MAN DIES FROM SHOCK CAUSED BY WASP STINGS --- A 48-year-old southeast Texas man is dead from anaphylactic shock brought on by wasp stings. Charles Leslie Kroll was cutting hay outside of his home in Brenham on Thursday when he was stung twice on the top of his head, said Carlene Starr Davis, spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff's Department. Emergency personnel were called to his home. He had a faint pulse and was breathing irregularly when they arrived. He later stopped breathing and was taken to Trinity Medical Center in Brenham, where he was pronounced dead about two hours after being stung. Investigators don't know if he was allergic to wasp stings, Ms. Davis said, nor could they determine if he was stung more than twice. (Dallas Morning News, AP, 6/24/01).

  Las Cruces, NM --- AGGRESSIVE BEES STILL BUZZING AROUND HOME --- Josie Reyes and her family remained in a state of limbo Monday -- still trying to figure out how to remove especially aggressive bees that continue to swarm around her Fischer Road home. "We're still waiting to see if this one exterminator can help us or not," said Anna Hernandez, Reyes' daughter. "This exterminator that did come out Friday afternoon said it did look to him like they might be African bees, (but) nobody has been able to say for sure." Reyes and several of her family members have been stung by the small black bees. The bees also apparently stung two family Rottweilers, killing one of the dogs. "My mom can only stay at the house at night now," Hernandez said. "I guess it's because it cools off at night and the bees go inside (the attic). But once the sun starts to come up on that side of the house, you can really see them start to come out." Reyes said there was a problem with bees when she bought the house 10 years ago. However, she was eventually able to get rid of them. But about three months ago, bees returned to Reyes' house. She soon noticed that the bees were much more aggressive and looked nothing like the bees she had seen before. During the past two weeks, the bees have become even more aggressive. "The exterminator who came Friday drove up in his truck to try to get a closer look at the bees," Hernandez said. "He never got out of his truck. He stayed a little while but drove away. I could see the bees starting to swarm and go after the truck after it had been close to them for only a few seconds." Reyes, who said she is allergic to bees, has been stung four times and has twice been hospitalized. She had been caring for her grandchildren in her home, but is now spending her days at the home of one of her daughters. Last week, the bees somehow managed to get inside Reyes' house and stung her infant granddaughter who had been napping underneath a blanket. "We're still not sure what we're going to do if this exterminator can't or won't be able to help us," Hernandez said. "He called us later (Friday) after looking at the bees and said it would cost us between $100 to $200 to get rid of them. I don't know where, or if, we can come up with that kind of money." (Steve Ramirez, Las Cruces Sun-News, 6/19/01).

  Luke Airforce Base, AZ --- TWO AIRMEN ATTACKED BY BEES IN LUKE --- Two airmen at Luke Air Force Base were attacked by a swarm of bees Friday while they attempted to remove a beehive from a water tower at the base. Senior Airman Ernest Mallard and Airman 1st Class Terrell Barnard, from the 56th Civil Engineer Squadron entomology shop, were treated at the base hospital for multiple bee stings. They were released from the hospital later in the day. Lt. Col. Douglas Lefforge, chief of public affairs for Luke, said that electricians from the engineer squadron were conducting maintenance work on the tower when they noticed the beehive. Mallard and Barnard were sent to remove the hive. The airmen approached the beehive without protective clothing because the bees were not swarming, Lefforge said. The airmen taped up the hole in the hive with duct tape, but they were unable to remove the hive, he said. The airmen were leaving to get protective clothing when a corner of the duct tape came loose and the bees swarmed, Lefforge said. Mallard was able to climb down the ladder, but Barnard, weakened by the stings, was not. He was rescued from the 100-foot high catwalk with the aid of a lift about two hours after the bees first attacked. Rescue teams from the Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear and Peoria fire departments assisted base firefighters in the rescue. (David Madrid, Staff Writer, The Arizona Republic, 6/16/01).

  Roscoe, TX --- BEE PROBLEM REQUIRED DIVINE INTERVENTION --- This town’s Church of Christ may have been shorn of its steeple, but at least its bug problem has been cut down to size. A week after lightning toppled most of the church steeple, minister Phil Collard says church officials are still awaiting a damage estimate. In the meantime, Collard’s flock won’t be bugged by bees any further. Before the heavens kicked up, church officials were at wit’s end regarding their bee problem. Bees had not only taken sanctuary inside the fiberglass steeple, they were producing enough honey that the sweet, sticky substance was dripping into the balcony. Exterminators had visited the church to smite the bees several times over the years, but the insects were never vanquished for long. Then the skies opened up, a lightening bolt crashed down and, lo, the plague of bees was no more. “When we looked around after the storm, there were pieces of honeycomb all over with black bees stuck to them,” Collard said. “The way we figure it, the Lord decided this was the best way to get rid of the bees.” Insurance should pay for a new steeple — and none too soon. “Birds have already begun nesting up there,” Collard said. “Within half a day, they had already built a nest.” (Bill Whitaker, Staff Writer, Abilene Reporter-News, 6/6/01).

  Angleton, TX --- BRAZORIA COUNTY ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Brazoria County was added Tuesday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees near Angleton. The addition makes 132 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. A colony of Africanized honey bees was found under a mobile home off Old Angleton Road. "A sample was collected and taken to Texas A&M's Honey Bee Identification Lab, where it was confirmed as Africanized," Jackson said. Jackson said inspectors presently are running the state's traplines full time because bee activity has increased with the warm weather. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees, but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico, Jackson noted. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 6/4/01).

  San Antonio, TX --- BEES ATTACK THREE MEN ---- KSAT-12 TV San Antonio reports today three men mowing a lawn on the city's West Side today were attacked by dozens of bees. Firefighters responding to the call said that all three men were stung, and treated at the scene. The incident occurred in the 3200 block of El Paso Street. The fire department secured the area by closing a nearby road while the hive was destroyed. The nest was discovered behind a nearby house. KSAT also reports one firefighter was also stung. (KSAT-12, 5/26/01).

  Caldwell, TX --- TWO COUNTIES ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST FOR AFRICANIZED BEES --- Burleson and Lee counties were added Monday to the state quarantine, restricting the movement of commercial bee operations following the detection of Africanized honey bees near Caldwell. The addition makes 131 counties in Texas now quarantined for Africanized honey bees, according to Paul Jackson, chief inspector for the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, a unit of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. A colony of Africanized honey bees was found in trap about 3 miles miles west of Caldwell during a routine examination by a state bee inspector. No Africanized bees have been reported in Lee County, Jackson said, but that county was completed surrounded by quarantined counties with the inclusion of Burleson County. It is the policy of the state apiary inspection service to quarantine such counties when its contiguous counties are quarantined because it is likely that Africanized honey bees are there but yet to be discovered. "A sample was collected and taken to Texas A&M's Honey Bee Identification Lab, where it was confirmed as Africanized," Jackson said. Jackson said inspectors presently are running the state's traplines full time because bee activity has increased with the warm weather. The quarantine allows beekeepers to move beehives within, but not out of, the zone in an effort to prevent assisting the spread. Africanized honey bees look just like regular domestic honey bees but are more defensive in protecting their hives. State bee inspectors continue to monitor a series of bee traplines that extend across the state from Louisiana to New Mexico, Jackson noted. The Africanized bee was first detected entering the United States near Brownsville in October 1990. Since then, the bee has spread through much of the state, along a line roughly from south of Houston to south of Lubbock to El Paso. Africanized honey bees also have been found in Arizona, California and New Mexico. (Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M Agriculture News, 5/21/01).

  Las Vegas, NV --- LOCAL FAMILY BATTLES BEES --- A Las Vegas family is recovering from a nerve-racking encounter with what was most likely a swarm of Africanized honeybees, or “killer bees.” More and more of the Africanized honeybees are making Southern Nevada their home, forcing exterminators to intensifying their battle plan to keep residents safe. Thursday, bees got too close to the Taylor family house near Paradise and Warm Springs. Wednesday, one of the six kids who lives in the house spotted thousands of bees clumped along the edge of the roof. When it became obvious those bees were not going to leave, they called a bee exterminator who fired up his equipment and went to battle. Exterminators in Las Vegas are facing perhaps their biggest challenge ever--a population of aggressive bees that has been getting worse every year. "It's getting worse every month," said Jim Ridenour, an exterminator. The Taylor’s unwanted bees appeared virtually overnight. They soon attracted the attention and the fear of everyone in the neighborhood. "This swarm could have killed a person if they'd attacked at one time," said Ridenour. Ridenour was called to the scene to remove the bees. He sprayed them with soapy water and pesticide. When the bees began to die, they fell from the roof in large clumps. If the bees had been allowed to stay for another day or two they would have gone inside the structure and begun building honeycombs and reproducing. If that was allowed to happen, the danger would have been much worse. Ridenour suggests that if you have cracks or holes in the exterior of your house, patch them so that bees cannot bore into your walls. The battle with the Taylor’s swarm is now, but the war has only just begun. Samples of the dead bees will be given to Nevada's Department of Agriculture for testing. If you should have the unfortunate experience of encountering killer bees, leave them alone. If they come at you the told the only good strategy is to run as fast as you can. The only way to verify that a swarm is made up of Africanized honeybees is to conduct a detailed examination using a microscope. In recent years, the vast majority of swarms found in the area have turned out to be killer bees. (Steve Crupi, KVBC-TV 3 News, 5/18/01).

  Phoenix, AZ --- TREE TRIMMER ATTACKED BY BEES --- A worker trimming a palm tree was stung about 125 times by a cloud of Africanized bees. Toure Marshall, who was recovering Wednesday, said he had checked the top of the tree before beginning work but that the bees were in the middle. Marshall, working out of a "bucket" raised by a mechanical arm, said a gray cloud came from beneath the bucket Tuesday afternoon and swarmed over his face, blinding him. Crews before saw what was happening and began lowering the bucket, but Marshall didn't wait. Trying to protect his face, Marshall said he jumped from the bucket into a work truck. (AP, 5/17/01).

  Georgetown, Guyana --- BEES KILL WOMAN IN FRESH ATTACK --- Killer bees in Guyana have stung to death an elderly woman in the second fatal bee attack this month in the South American nation. Relatives said Iris Lynch, 65, died after being attacked on Wednesday by a swarm of the bees while cleaning her yard in Golden Grove village, east of the capital Georgetown. A 25-year-old man who tried to help her was taken to a hospital for treatment of multiple stings from the insects, a particularly aggressive strain of honey bee that originated in southern Africa. Residents said the bees had been nesting in nearby houses. Earlier this month farmer, Parbudyal Harrypaul, 47, died after being engulfed by a horde of the deadly bees while working in a village just west of the capital. The bees have periodically attacked people and animals along the Guyanese coast over the last 20 years. The insects were brought to Brazil in the 1950s to increase honey production, and have spread throughout South and Central America and into parts of the southern United States. (Reuters, 4/30/01).

  Alvin, TX --- WOMAN SURVIVES BEE ATTACK --- A 67-year-old woman was attacked by a swarm of bees at Froberg Vegetable and Fruit Farm Sunday afternoon. The victim, Joann Froberg, was transported to Southeast Memorial Hospital with more than 500 bee stings. Doctors said it's a miracle that she survived because the amount of venom in her body was the equivalent of being bitten by two rattlesnakes. Froberg made a desperate call to 911 as the bees began to attack her. "They have been biting me a long time," Froberg told the 911 operator. "Are you allergic?" the operator asked. "I don't know," Froberg answered. "I have never been stung this many times. They are all over me." Alvin police officers who were called to the scene had to use fire extinguishers to fight off the bees. Froberg's son, Alfred Froberg, said that her family is proud of the way she handled the situation. "Everybody is proud for the way she took care of herself," Alfred Froberg said. "Everybody loves her." Alfred Froberg said that the bees live on the farm and are used to pollinate fruits and vegetables. He said that the bees are still riled up and that he is amazed at his mother's calm attitude and ability to get help. "I don't understand," Alfred Froberg said. "If it had been me, I would have been swatting. She remained calm and everything." Froberg is in guarded condition in the intensive care unit. Police aren't sure why the bees became agitated, but they aren't ruling out the possibility that Africanized honey bees infilitrated the hive. (Yahoo! News, 4/23/01). Video of the emergency rescue, with accompanying text, can be viewed at WPRC Click2Houston.com.

  Chandler, AZ --- BEES KILL DOG, HURT THREE OTHERS IN ATTACK --- A Chandler man's decision to smoke out a chimney full of bees cost him his dog, and caused three other dogs to get stung by the Africanized bees. David Woodson was painting his rental house in the 1900 block of North Illinois Street on Thursday when he decided to set off a smoke bomb in the chimney. The bees swarmed out and began attacking. The Chandler Fire Department responded to the bee attack about 4 p.m., spraying foam into the chimney and taking the dogs to a local animal hospital. Woodson's dog, a 7-year old black Labrador named Princess who visited patients for therapy at Good Samaritan Hospital in Mesa, was severely injured and died. "She was a very loving dog, never aggressive, who just loved everybody. That's why I put her in the therapy program because she was so loving," Woodson said. "She was my buddy, my companion." A pug, a Great Dane and an Akita also were attacked. The pug was two houses away in its yard, but the other three dogs were chained and caught the brunt of the bees' attack. The Great Dane, which broke his chain to get away, was expected to go home today but the Akita remained in serious condition. Tom Martin, owner of AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists in Phoenix and Tucson, confirmed that the insects were Africanized bees. He said 20 to 30 pounds of honeycomb were found in the chimney. He said there has been a flood of bee attacks this year, mostly because of a super-Africanized honeybee that has evolved from enduring the droughts of 1999 and 2000. Chandler Fire Department Capt. Dan Couch said the department is getting about 30 to 50 bee calls per month. (Senta Scarborough, The Arizona Republic, 4/21/01).

  Phoenix, AZ --- COLONIES LARGER, MORE AGGRESSIVE --- Tips to protect yourself from Africanized bees:
      * Install a cover over the chimney during spring and summer months when the fireplace is not in use.
      * Inspect your property about once a week, looking for bee swarms.
      * Seal cavities and crevices outside your home and near sheds.
    If bees attack you:
      * Run inside a car or building.
      * Protect your mouth, nose and eyes because bees attack where carbon dioxide is expelled.
      * Don't jump into a swimming pool, because bees will wait to attack until you surface for air.
    (Carmen Duarte, Arizona Daily Star, 4/21/01).