Killer bees are a mix of African honey bees and European bees that were bread to produce more honey and be better suited to tropical environments. Unfortunately, instead of producing more honey they just turned out to be more aggressive and have been invading local hives since 1957 when they were first released in Brazil.
Since 1990 Africanized honeybees (AHB’s) have been working their way up through the southern United States, starting in Texas and now reaching half way up through California and Nevada. Since many people are allergic to bee stings and these bees are extremely aggressive (stinging dozens of times and pursuing threats up to a quarter mile) they are considered highly dangerous.
The following steps will help you respond to and escape from killer bees. If you live in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada or southern California these tips could save your life and you may consider carrying a first aid kit and Epi-Pen® at all times in case of emergency. In some cases, even rescuers end up in danger due to the sheer volume and aggressiveness of killer bees so always be careful and consult an expert.
- most of the time before killer bees begin to sting they will bounce themselves off of a perceived threat, pelting the attacker is a signal to leave immediately and you should do exactly that if you are in this kind of situation
- do not attack or provoke the bees or their hive, especially if they are already swarming you, if even one bee stings it will release a pheromone that signals for other bees to begin stinging as well
- once a bee stings you it will die, but it leaves its stinger lodged within your skin and continues to pump venom for up to ten minutes! pull any stingers out as soon as possible and get away as fast and far as you can
- killer bees will target the mouth, nose, ears and eyes of their victims, they respond to the CO2 that is expelled by animals and people so the face is a primary target
Just to be clear, if you are ever in a situation where killer bees are attacking and stinging you, a friend or another animal, get as far away as fast as possible while being safe. Call for help, call 911 and search out a first aid pack and an Epi-Pen® as fast as you can for anyone who might be allergic to be stings.