Posted on 03/20/2023 6:07:11 AM PDT by Red Badger
Two dogs in McAllen, Texas died last week after getting attacked by the Africanized Bee, also known as killer bees, according to reports.
NBC station KVEO in Brownsville, Texas reported that the dogs died at a McAllen home after getting attacked by bees.
The city received a call about a bee attack on N. 7th Court on Thursday morning, which code enforcement responded to after obtaining a warrant to enter the vacated home where the hive was located.
Devon Johnson of R9 Hive & Honey told the news station the bees were Africanized honey bees, which are oftentimes misclassified as aggressive, though like regular honey bees, they only get aggressive when threatened.
She also said the bees have a three-day memory span, so if they get triggered by a lawn mower, they could get aggressive toward something else later.
Johnson told KVEO the attack was odd because these types of bees do not normally go out of their way to attack, and the dogs that took the stings were in a fence patio on the other side of a duplex.
The homeowner reportedly refused to allow the bee specialist and code enforcement staff to enter the home, so a warrant was obtained.
Once inside, an active hive was discovered that appeared to be covered up with fresh foam.
The Africanized honey bee is also known as the killer bee, which is a cross-breed between the European honey bee and the African honey bee.
The so-called killer bee is the result of experiments in Brazil decades ago, and the insects migrated to the U.S.
Although weather is a factor, a normal bee season runs from mid-March through October.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Hahaha!
Wow that’s cool...so interesting. There’s a beekeeper group that meets once a month near me...I’ll bring that up. Don’t keep em myself, but am planning to.
In this news, it is dead dogs. I wouldn't want them anywhere near other people, like kids even...*shudders*.
So non “africanized” bees never attack and kill?
The cross-breeding was accidental, when a queen bee escaped from an apiary in South America.
All bees release a pheromone when the stinger, stuck in the victim, is released and becomes airborne.
The killer bee's pheromone is stronger than domestic bees when torn from the abdomen, but the reaction to the venom is similar to domestic bees.
What differentiates killer bees from domestic bees is the ferocity and number of stings which create a severe reaction to the number of venom stings
which overwhelm the victims immune system.
Point.
The video I watched talked about the genes of the queen producing aggressive bees, and the need to 're-queen' the colony...I do not recall his even mentioning 'africanized' bees...
It is also my understanding that a DNA test is definitive...though I think more experienced beekeepers know 'on sight'. I could be wrong...but there are guys that go around rescuing wild hives, &/or eradicate dangerous swarms...one of them might know, kwim?
I would like to see what these bees could do to an Asian Giant ‘Murder’ Hornet.............
That's a darned good question !
Also, not mentioned before is that domestic bees swarm , and re-queen, only once per season.
The South American 'killer bees' are known to swarm up to five (5 X) times per season, and re-queen with each swarm,
and thus overwhelm the domestic bee populations in a geographic region.
The only thing that limits 'killer bees' is the fact that the Northern states experience freeze temperature (32 degrees and below)
and South Americans bees prefer constant warmer temperatures, which limit their travel and expansion.
which limit their travel and expansion.......until it doesn’t................
Yup !.. True that !
That reminds me about the Dengue viruses which are spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes species
They said it couldn't travel north of the Mason-Dixon line due to freezing temperatures,
until it was found in Washington and New York City bird baths !
I remember ‘Fire Ants weren’t supposed to become a problem because of the cold, freezing temps across the South.
Now we have Fire Ants everywhere.....................
So non “africanized” bees never attack and kill?
The number of “defender” regular bees that come out to attack is much less than the more easily riled up Africanized swarms.
If you are going to start beekeeping, now is the best time of year. Start with a nuc or maybe two.
Thank you for your kind advice!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.