ARE AFRICANIZED BEES DANGEROUS?
Africanized bees sometimes attack people and animals who unwarily stray into the territory they defend around their nests. Many serious stinging incidents have resulted in life-threatening injury and death.
Though
their venom is no more potent than that of our native European honey bee,
Africanized bees respond in greater numbers and pursue intruders for greater
distances. Also, disturbed colonies may remain agitated for as long as
24 hours, attacking perceived threats up to a quarter mile from the hive.
Any person or animal in the patrolled area is vulnerable. THE NEST, ITSELF,
NEED NOT BE DISTURBED. Africanized bees may respond aggressively to everyday
occurrences such as vibrations generated by passing vehicles, power equipment,
and even foot traffic.
When disturbed, individual bees emit iso-pentyl acetate, the honey bee "alarm" pheromone, and high concentrations are deposited with the stinger at the sting site. Pheromones are chemicals produced by animals allowing individuals of a species to communicate. This one acts as an airborne chemical beacon to other bees, who "pile on" in ever increasing numbers.
A
single honey bee sting can yield almost 0.1 mg of venom and it is widely
accepted 500 or more stings can be life threatening to an adult. Researchers
in Brazil reported physicians treating patients with 500 or more stings
should be advised, " . . . multi-systemic disorders are likely, including
intravascular haemolysis, rhabdomyolysis, acute tublar necrosis . . .
cardiovascular and respiratory failure should be anticipated 1."
As the number of Africanized bee colonies increases in a locale, so do also the chances of people/bee encounters. EXPERTS AGREE THAT THE BEST METHOD OF ESCAPING AN ATTACK IS TO COVER YOUR HEAD AND RUN FOR COVER.
Remove stingers as quickly as possible to lessen the amount of venom entering the body. Stingers should be scraped off the skin with a blunt knife or the edge of a plastic credit card. Attempting to remove bee stingers with fingers or a pair of tweezers only forces any remaining toxin within the venom sac into the victim's body.
Serious human injury can be avoided if the habits of Africanized bees are learned and precautions taken.
1- Franca FOS, Benvenuti LA, Fan HW, et al. 1994. Severe and fatal mass attack by "killer" bees (Africanized honey bees-Apis mellifera scutellata) in Brazil: Clinicopathological studies with measurement of serum venom concentrations. Quarterly Journal of Medicine. 87: 269-282.
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