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Killer Bees
- Thread starter D7reamers
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2001
- Messages
- 1,385
I also saw one of those shows and the expert featured said that one thing you can do is avoid wearing black or dark colors. Apparently they associate those shades with their natural enemies and they are more likely to be provoked.
I know that bee keepers use smoke to mellow bees. I wonder if the following would send them off or merely enrage them further? www.guardalaska.com Of course, one obvious problem would be that if they were already on or close to you, you couldn't fog them.
I know that bee keepers use smoke to mellow bees. I wonder if the following would send them off or merely enrage them further? www.guardalaska.com Of course, one obvious problem would be that if they were already on or close to you, you couldn't fog them.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2001
- Messages
- 4,501
Your best bet is to avoid them. Short of laboratory analysis, it is virtually impossible to distinguish "killer" bees from regular European honey bees. The primary difference is behavioral-- Africanized bees are far more agressive when it comes to defending their hive. Like European honey bees, Africanized bees can only sting you once-- the stinger tears away and the bee dies. However, if a hive is disturbed, Africanized bees will defend it in greater numbers, and will pursue whoever/whatever has disturbed them for greater distances. If you are out in the wilderness and you observe a large number of bees coming and going from a particular spot, avoid it. If you happen to disturb a hive, or if you are caught in a swarm, run away as fast as you can. If you can get to shelter, such as a car or building, do so as soon as possible. Even if some bees get inside with you, there will be fewer to deal with than outside. I have heard that diving into water is not such a great idea, as the bees will still be there when you come to the surface.
--Josh
--Josh
Brian Jones
Moderator
- Joined
- Jan 17, 1999
- Messages
- 7,560
D7,
I asked Darryl Patton et al about this over in Jeff Randall's forum, as they is VERY experienced with killer bees in S.A. and as beekeepers. This is a link to that thread, with many replies starting:
http://www.jungletraining.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=2197&t=8233#post2197
Here's Darryl's answer from that thread:
Don't get too worked up over killer bees. While dangerous, they have been blown out of proportion. They are simply a more aggressive version and that is it. In the South, the wild "black" bees (a variation of course of the Italian) can be just about as mean.
Bees vary from hive to hive with some having worse temperaments than others. When one stings you, the pheromones from the venom alert the others and they will in turn cover you up whether they are killer bees or not. The safest thing is to avoid them or to get the hell out of the area if you come into contact. Killer bees being so much more aggressive don't give up the fight as easily as regular bees. Their sting and venom is no worse. They just tend to sting more.
While in the military in Hawaii, I took up beekeeping as a hobby and had about 200 hives next to the runway at Hickam airfield. Hawaii has had Killer Bees there since the 1960's when somebody imported them due to their hardworking ethic. They tend to pack in more honey into a hive. When I worked my bees I had to keep their aggressive nature in mind. Hives with good Italian queens meant I could work them in a t-shirt, shorts and no veil. If I worked a hive with Killer Bees, I had to completely suit up as they would cover me so bad I sometimes could not see through the veil easily. It took a lot of smoke to control them and I don't want to think of the number of stings I would still get at times.
Just remember, around any honeybee, wear light clothes not dark, no soaps, perfumes etc. These tend to set them off like crazy. Other than that, if you have a nasty run in with them, run like crazy out of the area and head for water.
The further North they go, the milder in temperament they become. There is still a lot of debate as to how much cold weather they can stand due to their tropical origins.
Take Care,
Darryl Patton
Editor/Publisher - Stalking The Wild... The Magazine of Outdoor Discovery
http://www.stalkingthewild.com
I asked Darryl Patton et al about this over in Jeff Randall's forum, as they is VERY experienced with killer bees in S.A. and as beekeepers. This is a link to that thread, with many replies starting:
http://www.jungletraining.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=2197&t=8233#post2197
Here's Darryl's answer from that thread:
Don't get too worked up over killer bees. While dangerous, they have been blown out of proportion. They are simply a more aggressive version and that is it. In the South, the wild "black" bees (a variation of course of the Italian) can be just about as mean.
Bees vary from hive to hive with some having worse temperaments than others. When one stings you, the pheromones from the venom alert the others and they will in turn cover you up whether they are killer bees or not. The safest thing is to avoid them or to get the hell out of the area if you come into contact. Killer bees being so much more aggressive don't give up the fight as easily as regular bees. Their sting and venom is no worse. They just tend to sting more.
While in the military in Hawaii, I took up beekeeping as a hobby and had about 200 hives next to the runway at Hickam airfield. Hawaii has had Killer Bees there since the 1960's when somebody imported them due to their hardworking ethic. They tend to pack in more honey into a hive. When I worked my bees I had to keep their aggressive nature in mind. Hives with good Italian queens meant I could work them in a t-shirt, shorts and no veil. If I worked a hive with Killer Bees, I had to completely suit up as they would cover me so bad I sometimes could not see through the veil easily. It took a lot of smoke to control them and I don't want to think of the number of stings I would still get at times.
Just remember, around any honeybee, wear light clothes not dark, no soaps, perfumes etc. These tend to set them off like crazy. Other than that, if you have a nasty run in with them, run like crazy out of the area and head for water.
The further North they go, the milder in temperament they become. There is still a lot of debate as to how much cold weather they can stand due to their tropical origins.
Take Care,
Darryl Patton
Editor/Publisher - Stalking The Wild... The Magazine of Outdoor Discovery
http://www.stalkingthewild.com
Bees will generally locate their hives
in something with a hollow, For example:
old/large hollow tree, inside cavity in
a wall of a house or possibly even a barn,
a rotting stump, bee boxes, etc.
If you see bees going in and out of some-
thing that might contain a hive, back away and
avoid the area.
If you should happen to get attacked, run
like hell and keep running. Do not stay put
and attempt to swat them off as you are
probably too near their hive and they will
keep coming after you.
in something with a hollow, For example:
old/large hollow tree, inside cavity in
a wall of a house or possibly even a barn,
a rotting stump, bee boxes, etc.
If you see bees going in and out of some-
thing that might contain a hive, back away and
avoid the area.
If you should happen to get attacked, run
like hell and keep running. Do not stay put
and attempt to swat them off as you are
probably too near their hive and they will
keep coming after you.
If I have a hornet nest in my yard, what is the best way of getting rid of it? Would the best method vary depending on the type of nest? For example, the big football shaped nests that hang from a high tree branch versus a hollow in a tree 4' off the ground. Or, for that matter, even a nest in the ground.
I have tossed a few cups of gasoline on a nest and that knocked them out instantly. But, what if I had missed? I might have regretted it. And I would not want to do that if they were in the wall of a building.
To get rid of carpenter bees I have used a powdered insecticide. But the males do not sting and I was free to move around their nest without fear of being swarmed.
Any recommendations for dealing with a large active nest of angry bees, wasps or hornets?
I have tossed a few cups of gasoline on a nest and that knocked them out instantly. But, what if I had missed? I might have regretted it. And I would not want to do that if they were in the wall of a building.
To get rid of carpenter bees I have used a powdered insecticide. But the males do not sting and I was free to move around their nest without fear of being swarmed.
Any recommendations for dealing with a large active nest of angry bees, wasps or hornets?
A can of gasoline thrown on a wasp nest
usually does kills wasps instantly. For
very large nests you may have to go to
1/2 a coffee can or half a bucket of
gasoline. Also, if you will attack them
after dark, they cannot see well and you
have far less risk of getting stung in case
you miss. (also those spray cans marked Wasp Killer
that blast spray out several feet are very effective,
but fairly expensive and you may need more than one.
Gasoline will tend to kill whatever plant
or portion of a plant it comes into contact
with (this is neglecting its explosive
nature), so use it carefully.
If you pour gasoline into a hollow tree,
you risk killing the tree.
I have moved bumble bees out of the wall of
a camphouse by inserting mothballs in the
cracks in the wall. It eventually stinks up
the whole wall cavity and the bees get fed
up with it and leave. This might be a safer
way to go with a hollow tree which would
leave the tree alive.
I have never messed with a hornet's nest.
They will abandon it in the fall and go
hibernate elsewhere, then you can easily remove
it and sell it. The hornet nest typically has
an opening in the bottom of the nest.
Theoretically if one plugged it they cannot get
outside for a while. If the nest was high and not
in my backyard, I would leave it alone. If the nest
is low (8') or less and in an area where people could
easily come into contact with it, then I think I would
do the following : Attack at nite with a garbage can
filled with several gallons of gas. Clip the outer part
of the limb as
close as I dared to the nest. I would lower the
limb with nest so that the nest is inside the garbage can
and then cover it with the lid. Then sever the limb from
the tree and push everything inside the can so lid could
be securely tightened. Then I would shake the can so
gasoline would thoroughly soak the nest. I wouldn't open
the lid til the next nite just to be sure. (obviously this
advise is somewhat dependent upon the exact circumstances)
If you have bees in the wall, either try the mothball
method or call a bee-keeper. They will often remove
hives for free if they get to keep the bees.
usually does kills wasps instantly. For
very large nests you may have to go to
1/2 a coffee can or half a bucket of
gasoline. Also, if you will attack them
after dark, they cannot see well and you
have far less risk of getting stung in case
you miss. (also those spray cans marked Wasp Killer
that blast spray out several feet are very effective,
but fairly expensive and you may need more than one.
Gasoline will tend to kill whatever plant
or portion of a plant it comes into contact
with (this is neglecting its explosive
nature), so use it carefully.
If you pour gasoline into a hollow tree,
you risk killing the tree.
I have moved bumble bees out of the wall of
a camphouse by inserting mothballs in the
cracks in the wall. It eventually stinks up
the whole wall cavity and the bees get fed
up with it and leave. This might be a safer
way to go with a hollow tree which would
leave the tree alive.
I have never messed with a hornet's nest.
They will abandon it in the fall and go
hibernate elsewhere, then you can easily remove
it and sell it. The hornet nest typically has
an opening in the bottom of the nest.
Theoretically if one plugged it they cannot get
outside for a while. If the nest was high and not
in my backyard, I would leave it alone. If the nest
is low (8') or less and in an area where people could
easily come into contact with it, then I think I would
do the following : Attack at nite with a garbage can
filled with several gallons of gas. Clip the outer part
of the limb as
close as I dared to the nest. I would lower the
limb with nest so that the nest is inside the garbage can
and then cover it with the lid. Then sever the limb from
the tree and push everything inside the can so lid could
be securely tightened. Then I would shake the can so
gasoline would thoroughly soak the nest. I wouldn't open
the lid til the next nite just to be sure. (obviously this
advise is somewhat dependent upon the exact circumstances)
If you have bees in the wall, either try the mothball
method or call a bee-keeper. They will often remove
hives for free if they get to keep the bees.
If you see a hole in a tree or some other structure and bees are coming in and out of it, simply pick up a large stick and insert it into the cavity stirring vigorously. This will let the bees know who's in charge and they'll leave you alone. If they should come out of the hole and chase you, simply stand your ground and flap your arms wildly. This will serve to hypnotize the bees and they will become your willing servants.
...... sorry, I'm at work and bored.
...... sorry, I'm at work and bored.
