The do’s and don’ts of dealing with killer bees

Monday, May 15, 2000 | 10:26 a.m.

The sting of the Africanized honeybee is the same as the European bee, but Africanized bees will attack by the hundreds or thousands when protecting their hives. This is the reason they are considered dangerous and potentially lethal, especially to the very young, elderly and small animals.

Experts agree that the best method of escaping an attack is to cover your head and run for cover.

The Las Vegas Fire Department does not remove swarms of bees or bee hives. The fire department only responds in situations where people are stung by bees or to assist professional exterminators.

For more information call the city of Las Vegas Africanized Honey Bee Information Hotline at 229-2000 and listen to a four-minute recording about the bees. Or visit the fire department's website at www.ci.las-vegas.nv.us/fire-rescue. Clark County also has a killer bee website at www.co.clark.nv.us/pubworks/ahb.htm.

If you feel a condition warrants special attention or you feel uncomfortable about a certain situation with bees, you can call fire department Public Information Officer Tim Szymanski at 229-5911 or 229-0145.

Szymanski also provides a free one-hour seminar about the bees to schools, civic groups, businesses, government agencies and scout groups.

The following is a list of do's and don't's when dealing with Africanized bees:

Prevention

Routinely check your home for bees and for cracks or holes where bees might start a hive. The sprinkler box is the most popular place for bees to build a hive in the Las Vegas Valley.

Fill up or cover potential colony sites, such as holes and cavities in trees, eaves, outside walls, carports and key boxes for water meter boxes. Remove debris such as old tires and piles of lumber.

Call beekeepers or pest control operators if you find an established bee colony. Do not try to destroy a hive yourself.

Add pine-scented liquid cleaner to the water of evaporative coolers. Put a tablespoon of vinegar in a pet water dish or bird bath. These will act as bee deterrents.

Wear light-colored clothes; avoid wearing perfumes, hair spray or scented lotions in the wilderness.

Remove any old hive boxes not in use.

Remove dead trees or plants. Hollow trees or dead desert plants serve as excellent places for bees to build a hive.

Check the area carefully for bees and hives before starting motorized mowers, weed choppers or chain saws because vibration and exhaust from mowers and other equipment can disturb the beehive and bees will respond by attacking.

Be aware of culverts or drainage pipes that may be harboring a colony, and junk piles of dense shrubbery that may be shielding a hive from sight.

Don't allow grass clippings to be propelled into suspect areas.

Check carefully for bees in pens or barns where animals are confined. Regularly check areas where pets are kept on leashes or in small fenced yards or pens.

Have an emergency plan. Know where you will run for cover if attacked.

Bee encounters

Leave bees alone. Do not agitate them. Keep the area quiet and calm.

Contact a local exterminator or bee removal service to have the bees taken away. Call 385-5853 for a recorded telephone message listing many services available in Southern Nevada.

Remove any pets or children playing in the area and have them stay inside a building. Encourage people in the area not to make noise. Bees are especially attracted to lawnmowers, dogs barking, weed eaters or other noises. They are also attracted to bright flashing lights. This is why when emergency vehicles respond to a bee incident, they do not use lights or sirens.

If you see an attack...

Call 911 immediately. Advise the person to seek shelter in a building or vehicles.

Do not scream or wave your arms at the person because this will attract the bees to you.

If it appears the person is lying on the ground unconscious, do not try to rescue him. The bees will leave because the person is not moving and they will attack you instead.

If attacked...

Run as fast as you can from the bees; in most cases you can outrun them.

Cover your face with your hands.

Do not scream or wave your arms, as this will keep the bees attacking.

Look for shelter, such as a building or vehicle. Swimming pools are not a good place to hide because the bees will wait for you to come up for air and attack again.

If someone has been stung several times, he should seek medical attention. If the person becomes dizzy, has difficulty breathing or their lips and fingernails turn blue, call 911 immediately. The person may be suffering an allergic reaction to the stings and might need immediate medical attention.

(Sources: Africanized Honeybee Education Project, University of Arizona; Las Vegas Fire Department; Nevada Division of Agriculture.)