Bees and Wasps

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Bees and Wasps
2
Overview

• General information about bees and wasps
• Cases in which fatalities occurred
• Precautions to avoid injury

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Bees and Wasps

• Usually only sting predators when they are
  threatened or defending their nests.
  
• Most deadly when the individual is allergic to
  the venom.
  
• 8.6 honey bee stings/lb of body weight is
  considered the toxic dose (more dangerous for
  children)
  
• A healthy adult would have to be stung over 1000
  times to be in risk of death.

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Stingers
Honey Bee stingers are barbed.
Chemical in venom is called melittin.
Wasp stingers are not barbed.
Deliver a venom that causes pain when injected
into the skin.
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Africanized Bees

• Similar to the normal (European Bee)
• More aggressive when defending their nests
• Attack quicker with more bees
• Results in more fatalities

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Bees can only sting once?

• Stingers can be used several times when defending
  nests from small predators (other bees)
  
• Defending against humans the stinger is broken
  off of the bee and often tears the abdomen which
  results in the bees death.

7

• Employee was clearing land on a tractor
• Ran over bees nest and they started to sting
• Worker jumped off moving tractor to escape bees
• Worker tries to chase down tractor to turn it off
  and gets run over by tractor tire and attached
  blade WORKER DEAD!!!

Ouch! Im gonna die!
8

• Worker is clearing shrubs off site with an
  earthmover
  
• Disturbs bee nest and gets swarmed
• Tries to run but cant because hes old and slow
  and therefore falls dead (Also a case of allergic
  reaction)

Run for your life! Theyre tearing
my flesh off! Youre fire arms are
useless against them!
Grgl, Im dead!
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Prevention and Precautions

• Be aware of potential bee habitats (in
  ground/eves of houses/etc.)
  
• Keep vegetation around site cut low
• Have people not allergic perform potentially
  dangerous tasks
  
• Inspect site for hives before clearing (non
  allergic employee)

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Precautionary Measures

• Wasp and bee killer spray
• Soap and water for non threatening stings
• Require all allergic employees to carry Epi-pen
• Do not swat at bees

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• Dont Disturb Them and They Wont Disturb You
  But ALWAYS BE PREPARED!