Killer Bees

D

dullone

Joined
Aug 27, 2002
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Killer Bees in AZ are a real danger. 2 women in Phoenix critically injured in same attack.
Suggestions for avoiding/escaping an attack?????
 
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This was a general question, not specific to this one incident. The state has wild honey bees everywhere and most if not all are hybridized with the african strain.
 
I know there was some study about attacks. From what I gathered about attacks .................................... cover your face and Run Forest Run!

IIRC - The study was to see how far they would go away from their colony before they retreated.
One species was about 150-300 yards and the KB's much much much farther and sometimes over a mile. If you jump into a lake, they have been known to wait until you poke your head up and attack you each time. They can remain agitated for 24 hours.
Run far, fast and cover your head with your shirt and find a darkened room in a building. Bees will go to the light of a window most likely.
Pay attention where your walking and be alert.
 
Stumbled onto several hives when I lived in AZ. There was one in an old abandoned cinder block shed that I would love to rob, honey was literally oozing out of the blocks.

As far as surviving an attack, everything I have heard has already been mentioned but I will say, they scare me more than rattlesnakes. Chris
 
I'd like to know more wbout these buzzers too, since I really know nothing about bees at all, let alone the "Killer Bees". My immediate guess would be to keep an attacking swarm out of your critical orifaces, so cover mouth and nose so they don't get in there and sting causing swelling and possible suffocation. Would this seem right, along with a hearty sprint for a mile or two? (although I doubt I would be able to do that these days anyway, heheh)? :o
 
I've also read that killer bees are so aggressive that the last thing you want to do is run. Apparently if you drop to the ground and stay still they will leave you alone ... easier said than done. The bees are attracted to movement.
 
But if they apparently wait for you, and remain aggressive for up to 24 hours, that'd mean you get holed up lying on the ground for a day without moving (or at least until it gets dark). So what's best, run or hit the deck? :confused:
 
Bring Joe Flowers with you everywhere you go, the bees love him and they will probably just cuddle with him while you run away.

Seriously - All bees freak me out. I got stung by two wasps once and ended up in the hospital with severe swelling and the beginning of labored breathing. I never knew I had a problem so I went to my allergist to see what was up. Apparently I'm not actuall allergic to them but for some reason I have a more severe reaction than a normal person. He explained it but it doesn't make sense to me since I'm not allergic. I still carry an epi-pen and/or benadryl just in case.

Killer bees, man, they just give me the heebee jeebees. From what I've read about them it appears they are aggressive towards sound and proximity to their hive. Not much you can do about either if the hive is in the ground or you are chopping a tree with a hive that you can't see. Also, like a snake, most people won't even know they are close to a hive. Man, I hope they don't make their way up to DE.
 
I'm interested in dealing with them too. There was a camera crew that went out to the Everglades with a python hunter last week. Some how the camera man stirred up a nest of killer bees, they made it to their car, they reported that two hours later the bees where still there trying to get at them.

I'm not sure about this as it's second hand information but it was mentioned that these bees give a proximity warning by three or so bees physically bumping into to you to turn you away from the hive. I worry about this out in the Everglades and would like to be prepared in case I accidentally disturb a hive. I'll ride out to the park this week end and ask the rangers what's up.
 
Was out for a long hike last weekend in a pretty remote area, and it occurred to me that if I stumbled across killer bees that running would be difficult and dangerous in some of the terrain I was in. The closest shelter was my car, about a two hour downhill jog away. Only thing I could come up with, besides being alert and avoiding them in the first place, is to try to drag my poncho out of my pack and wrap myself in it and move as quickly as I could down hill.

What I would like to know is what knife would be best for killer bee defense? I'm thinking a small light blade so they can be individually stabbed out of the air...but perhaps a wide chopper would be best for swatting them down. And what grind is best for killer bee work? I'm confused. All I know is that I clearly need to buy more knives to meet this threat.
 
JCavSD said:
What I would like to know is what knife would be best for killer bee defense? I'm thinking a small light blade so they can be individually stabbed out of the air...but perhaps a wide chopper would be best for swatting them down. And what grind is best for killer bee work? I'm confused. All I know is that I clearly need to buy more knives to meet this threat.
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BRKT Bumble Bee? ;)
 
It has been a while since I have heard anything about killer bees. I remember they were the darlings of the media when I was growing up. The USA was going to be over run with them in just a few short months and we would all be dead.

I haven't thought much about how to deal with them simply because I have never had to worry about coming across them.
 
Situational awareness goes a long way. You can hear a hive long before you see it just go around and they will not mess with you. The KBs also have guards out who will bump you a few times before you get stung so you have a warning. Also when a hive is swarming and moving from spot to spot just be still and they will fly right by.
 
Horned Toad said:
Situational awareness goes a long way. You can hear a hive long before you see it just go around and they will not mess with you. The KBs also have guards out who will bump you a few times before you get stung so you have a warning. Also when a hive is swarming and moving from spot to spot just be still and they will fly right by.
Click to expand...

Hey "HT" that is very interesting information. Are you a beekeeper or do you have any scientific training in that area? That information sounds feasible and I'm all ears when it comes to preparing myself for any kind of defense from potentially dangerous animals of any kind.

About a year ago I saw a TV special and to the best of my memory I think it was on ANIMAL PLANET. They did say in that special that the Africanized Killer bees got started down in Brazil and worked their way up to where they are now. They did say on that show that they were the only species of honey bees that could potentially be aggressive without being provoked.

What you say about hearing the hive from far off I know is true because they said that the KB's always have huge hives so that stands to reason. It's a serious danger because several times more people are killed every year by wasp and bee stings but most everyone is far more afraid of snakes and spiders than they are of bees, wasps & hornets :confused:

I had a local beekeeper here in Missouri tell me that one of the best defenses against any bees is "smoke". He showed me how he used a pail in which smoke was cascading out of it while he took the honey from the hives.

The one thing that really scares me about the killer bees is that they tend to be really random about where they make a hive. So it's not very easy to indentify potentially dangerous places they could be setting up shop so to speak. I have a lot of interest in this subject because a few years ago I was very close to death because of disturbing a colony of yellow jackets. They said if I had got to the emergency room even 30 minutes later I would have surely been dead. I got stung by about 30 to 40 of them the doctor said.

It's surely a subject we all need to know more about. great thread
 
run like hell and don't stop, they'll stay with you up to a quarter mile or better, so run some more!!!!!!!
 
An upside to this bee fear if I may add,

What we call 'African Killer Bees' in Africa, are just bees to the locals.

In fact, one of the most popular and widely used bee-boxes for cultivating honey is based directly from traditional African design, for its ease of setup.

They have boxes in their backyards and in their villages.
I've seen several videos of them handling the boxes and swarms with none of the heavy duty body suits that we wear, just tees and shorts...


Certainly understanding the habits of an animal will help you to understand how to coexist with them.

That being said, if I stumbled upon a swarm and managed to escape the scene, my awareness when out in the woods would certainly be further peaked to the surroundings!:D

That saying, 'tread lightly on the earth' suddenly has more meaning behind it!
 
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