Posted on 04/12/2008 11:46:31 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A man in Florida died after being stung more than 100 times by bees that officials think were Africanized honey bees.
The man had a fatal reaction to the bee stings, medical officials said.
Local 6 reported that it will likely be reported as the first death in Florida caused by the aggressive bees.
The victim's name wasn't released.
Africanized bee stings are no more potent than an ordinary bee stings, but the bees are far more aggressive and attack in swarms. Experts say they have been in Florida since 2002, and there have been a few reports about swarms of the bees attacking people.
Officials at the Florida Department of Agriculture said the man was stung April 9 in rural northwestern Okeechobee County as he was trying to dismantle a trailer.
Witnesses told officials that the man knew there was a nest of bees on the trailer.
The bee colony was later destroyed by state officials.
Bee experts say the swarms don't fly around seeking to attack people. They do react aggressively, however, when disturbed by people or animals, such as when someone pokes at their nest.
Agriculture officials said people should stay away from bee nests and shouldn't try to remove nests themselves. If they're chased by a swarm of bees, people should run until they can get inside.
Officials also said that most wasp and hornet sprays shouldn't be used on bee nests. While they can kill the bees, they also cause the release of a pheromone that stimulates the rest of the colony to attack.
Dreadful. RIP.
Yeah, mass bee stings feel like someone poured gasoline on you and lit a match. It’s a bad way to go!
We have them in Texas. Just last week I had a man come running into my yard from neighboring property where he had been using a riding lawnmower.
He still had some swarming around his head but not as aggressivly as the original African “killer” bees would have. They are interbreeding with the local honey bees.
Africanized honey bees have been seen as far north as Kansas City, Missouri!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee
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Wear netting and smoke
[Wear netting and smoke]
Snicker, then the netting would catch on fire igniting the net and the hat holding the net, then your hair. Lol.
Yeah, Somewhere I still have a beekeepers hat, netting and ‘smoker box’ from when my kids were little and we had one honeybee hive!
LOL... Yes you are right. If I swim with the gators the bees won’t bother me :-)
You gotta love that state.
Yah you aren’t kidding. I’ve lived down there before and never thought I’d be heading back. But it looks like I will be.
agreed...
Over the decades, several deaths in the Americas have been attributed to Africanized bees. The venom of an Africanized bee is no more potent than that of a normal honey bee, but since the former subspecies tends to sting in greater numbers, the number of deaths from them are greater than any other subspecies. However, allergic reaction to bee venom from any bee can kill a person, and it is difficult to estimate how many more people have died due to the presence of Africanized bees.
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