Posted on 04/05/2017 8:39:15 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Battalion chief: Beekeeper was harvesting honey from personal hive
A swarm of bees killed a dog, injured a beekeeper and a firefighter and prompted residents living in a Ceres neighborhood to be under a shelter-in-placer order, according to an official with the Ceres Fire Department.
The attack happened at about 5 p.m. Sunday when the beekeeper, 53, was trying to harvest honey from his beehive in his backyard in the 2700 block of River Valley Circle, battalion Chief Rick Scola said.
There were about 4,200 bees inside the hive, which equals about three pounds of bees, and for an unknown reason, the bees began attacking the beekeeper, who was stung "too many times to count" even though he was wearing protective clothing, Scola said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and was later released.
The bees also went to another house on a street to the south, where they attacked two large dogs. The owner rushed outside to save his dogs, but was also stung several times in the process, the Ceres Police Department said.
The dogs were taken to a veterinarian, but one of them -- a pit bull -- did not survive. The other dog was expected to live, Scola said.
After sundown, it was determined that the beehive was unsafe to move, and the bees were euthanized to protect the public. The hive was later removed by a professional beekeeper, the police department said.
About 45 houses in the area were placed on a shelter-in-place order for about five hours.
No criminal charges will be pressed against the beekeeper.
A bee specialist company, Bee Free, said there has been an increase in bee-related emergencies in the area over the last few years.
Scola offered a warning from Bee Free:
Any swarm of bees can be dangerous and aggressive and can kill pets and/or people. If you see a swarm, you should avoid them and not try to distract the bees.
You should contact a bee removal specialist to have hives removed and do not attempt to remove them yourself.
>> If you see a swarm, you should avoid them and not try to distract the bees.
>> The bees also went to another house on a street
I suppose the entails confinement and/or running.
They have bees on asteroids (or dwarf planets to be PC)?
Africanized bees?
Killer Bees on Saturday Night Life (Racism and Intolerance Trigger Warning):
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/the-killer-bees/n8622?snl=1
That’s what I was thinking.
There were about 4,200 bees inside the hive, which equals about three pounds of bees
When bees swarm they become remarkably docile. They no longer have a hive to protect so they won’t likely sting unless hurt. If one is careful it is possible to pick up several pounds of bees with bare hands without being stung.
When a bee stings you, it leaves a chemical message to its sisters that says “sting here”. So if you get stung once, you are likely to get stung several times if you hang around. Africanized bees are notorious for pursuing people/animals a lot farther than regular honey bees.
I had a swarm set up shop right on (and probably in) my worm bin which is in a shady area. It was like a thick blanket of bees which I tested by lopping off a section of them with a stick. The blanket of bees just plopped on the ground but when I checked back in 15 min or so they were back in place covering the worm bin. It was amazing. I took pictures but they didn’t capture the reality of the experience.
I think about two days went by and although they were docile as you said, I was uneducated and concerned they might set up shop for good so I called around and found a beekeeper who told me among other things bees don’t like to be in the sun.
So I dragged the worm bin, and remember, it is quite literally coated with a thick coat of bees, layers of them, out in the sun. Next time I checked back they were gone.
Do you know if their queen is with them when they swarm? So the queen could have been in my swarm? I guarantee you the amount of bees that visited me was well over three pounds, more like 10 at a guess. It was a LOT of bees. I live in a housing tract in suburbia.
I’m surprised they are allowed to have bees in a neighborhood like that. I would think they would need to be out in the country.
Poor pit dog. Helluva way to go.
I know. I simply cannot imagine being stung so many times that it kills you.
Poor pittie.
brand new hive
Accidently "harvest" the queen's royal jelly, did you?
Allowed? You've been here since 1998 and you're making a statement like that. Who do you think should tell them that they are "not allowed"? Guess you don't believe in property rights.
Bees. Shelter in place. WTF?
What has become of the United States of America?
This story is bogus. We know all the bees are dead, because niconoids. sarc.
I was stung once 27 times when we kept bees, buy I’m not allergic to honey bees.
I’m betting there were more like 20,000 bees in the hive that swarmed.
In a previous story, a lady stung hundreds of times found out, after she recovered, that her arthritis was completely gone.
I just ordered 3 pounds of bees, this story is making me second guess my decision. Any advice for keeping bees happy so they don’t kill me?
Yes, the queen is with the swarm. In fact, that’s how hives multiply. The old queen leaves with about half the hive, leaving a new queen behind. When you dropped a bunch to the ground, the queen was still in the bunch left behind, that’s why the ones on the ground went back to her.
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