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Living with the Africanized Honey Bee

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Title: Living with the Africanized Honey Bee


1
Living with the Africanized Honey Bee
Phil Mulder Extension Entomologist Oklahoma
State University
2
Contributions from Honey Bees
  • Produce about 250 million pounds of honey per
    year.
  • Value 200 million.
  • Produce about 4 million pounds of Beeswax.
  • Produce bee pollen, bee venom, royal jelly, etc.
  • Pollinate gt 90 cultivated crops.
  • Estimated value 20 billion.
  • Contribution from pollination effects every third
    bite of food consumed.

3
History of the Africanized Honey Bee
  • Started as an attempt to improve honey production
    in Brazil, Warwick Kerr (1956).
  • European strains were not adapting to South
    American conditions.
  • Captured several colonies in Africa and selected
    out 27 highly productive queens.
  • When shipping large colonies by rail (1957),
    queens were accidentally released from the
    excluders.

4
History of the Africanized Honey Bee
  • African honey bees crossed with European stock
    Hybrid strain known as the Africanized Honey Bee
    (AHB).
  • Moved slowly in all directions with gentler stock
    but retained African traits.
  • October 15, 1990 First natural swarm captured
    in the U.S. in Hidalgo, Texas.
  • Swarm destroyed out of a baited trap.

5
History of the Africanized Honey Bee
  • 1993 First report of natural swarms in Arizona
    and New Mexico.
  • 1994 First report in California.
  • Within 1 year, nearly 8,000 square miles
    colonized by AHB.
  • Today over 100 counties in Texas, 10 in New
    Mexico, 14 in Arizona, 1 in Nevada and over 10
    counties in California.
  • 36 confirmed county captures in Oklahoma.

6
Living with the Africanized Honey Bee (Movement)
7
Africanized Honey Bee in the US
8
Africanized Honey Bee in Oklahoma
Current Status as of 11/2008
9
Living with the Africanized Honey Bee
  • The Problem in Perspective Camazine (1988).
  • 20 deaths per year from honey bees in the U.S.
  • 0.08 deaths per year per 1 million people.
  • 80 deaths per year from lightning.
  • 0.32 deaths per year per 1 million people.
  • No consolation if you loose someone from such an
    attack.

10
Living with the Africanized Honey Bee
  • The problem (continued)
  • LD50 equals 8 - 10 stings per pound of body
    weight.
  • 200 pound person 1,725 - 2,000 stings.
  • Sounds ridiculous!! AHB 6-10X more defensive.
  • Approximately ½ - 4 of population is
    hypersensitive.

11
Living with the Africanized Honey Bee
  • Personal protection ideally with a complete bee
    suit.
  • Formulations of repellents containing Deet as
    the active ingredient can also provide
    protection.
  • Also wear gloves and boots with pants of suit
    taped inside of boots.

12
Living with the Africanized Honey
Bee (Differences and Similarities)
Africanized Honey Bee
European Honey Bee
? Tropically adapted, less winter hardy ?
Adapted to temperate climates ? Very defensive
(6-10 times) ? Gentle ? Forage in marginal
areas ? Will not forage in marginal areas ?
More likely to swarm when nectar and ? Not
likely to swarm when conditions pollen flow
are good (6-12 times/yr). are strong
(1swarm/5colonies/yr). ? Devote ½ time to
forage for pollen ? Store more honey. Rarely
use gt 25 - (protein source) store less
honey. 30 of workers for pollen
collection ? Absconding common when threatened
? Absconding rare. ? About 27 smaller than
EHB. ? Slightly larger but cant tell.
13
Living with the Africanized Honey
Bee (Differences)
Africanized Honey Bee
European Honey Bee
? Prefer large nest cavities, but less ?
Prefer larger nest site (40 liters)
discriminating (pots, tires, bird house).
Above ground, clean and dry. ? Shorter
development time (70-71 hrs.). ? Longer
development time (72-76 hrs). Hatch 14.5
days (Queen) Hatch 15 days (Queen). ?
Mating flights are slightly later in day. ?
Mating flights earlier and longer. ? Reaction
time about 3 seconds. ? Reaction time about 19
seconds. ? Cool-off time about ½ hr. to 1 hr.
? Cool-off time 2-3 minutes. ? Pursuit distance
about 187 yards. ? Pursuit distance about 27.5
yards.
14
Living with the Africanized Honey Bee
Dont confuse the issue!!
Yellowjacket, European paper wasp, Honey bee,
Bumble bee
15
Cuckoo Wasp
Sweat Bee
Bald Faced Hornet Nest
Syrphid Fly
16
Eliminate Colony Sites
Ditch Culvert
Cemetery Pillar - Hollow
Trailer Houses
Junkyard Debris
17
Bird Houses
Flower Pots and Barrels
Tire piles
House walls with holes
18
House eaves and gables
Water meters
Abandoned houses or outbuildings
Tree Holes or depressions
19
Bee Removal NOT a One-Man Job!!
20
Preparation for removal
  • Everyone involved should have a complete bee
    suit, including gloves, veil, and boots.
  • Designate each person in the team a specific job
    (smoker, substrate, remover, etc.)
  • Map out an attack plan before going into the
    area.
  • Tape around gloves, pant legs and any openings.

21
Bee Suits
  • Bee suit
  • Completely
  • enclosed to
  • prevent bees
  • from getting
  • in.
  • Cost 115-140

22
Gloves
  • You can do a Google search for bee suits.
  • Bee Gloves 12-16

23
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24
  • Dadant Sons, Inc.
  • 1169 Bonham Street
  • P.O. Box 146
  • Paris, Tx 75460
  • 877-632-3268
  • www.dadant.com
  • Mann Lake Ltd. 
  • 501 S. 1st St.
  • Hackensack, MN 56452-2001
  • 1-800-880-7694 
  • www.mannlakeltd.com
  • Omega Pest Control
  • 8255 W. Jefferson St.
  • Peoria, AZ
  • 1-800-550-2990 (orders only please)
  • www.omegapestcontrol.com/TheStore.htm
  • Bee Care
  • Box 1070, Leander, TX  78646 1070
  • (512) 379-4301 
  • Fax (253) 648-6251
  • www.beecare.com
  • Betterbee
  • 8 Meader Road
  • Greenwich, New York 12834
  • 800-632-3379
  • www.betterbee.com
  • Glorybee Foods Inc.
  • 120 N.Seneca
  • P. O. Box 2744
  • Eugene, Oregon 97402
  • 800-456-7923
  • www.glorybee.com

25
Africanized Honey Bee Control
  • You need to look and play the part of a bee
    control professional.
  • Rubber gloves to go over the bee gloves when
    handling the comb or pesticides.
  • Any Pesticide label Personal Protective
    equipment.
  • Respirator
  • Dust mask
  • Protective glasses
  • Duct Tape
  • Anti-histamine such as benadryl
  • General construction tools, ladders,
    hammers,caulking gun, wrecking bar, saws etc.

26
Laying Out The land
  • Approach every feral bee swarm or colony as if it
    is Africanized.
  • Park vehicle away from property- 50 yards.
  • Speak with home owner to find out about the
    colony.
  • Swarm or established colony
  • How long there.
  • Where located, wall, ground, tree, etc.
  • When approaching bees always wear your protective
    bee equipment.

27
Laying Out The land
  • Notify neighbors.
  • Determine if you are going to remove the colony
    or just kill it.
  • Use buddy system, any time you use a ladder, work
    at night, or if the bees are very defensive.
  • Better to live safely than die recklessly

28
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29
Tools
  • Proper bee suit
  • Duct Tape
  • Saw
  • Drill
  • Flashlight
  • Large heavy duty plastic bags
  • Hammers
  • Caulking gun
  • Pry bar
  • Stapler
  • Stud finder
  • Ladders
  • Lt. Weight tool bag
  • 1-2 gal sprayer
  • Dust applicator.

30
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31
Insecticide Choices and Liability
  • Odor of product some pesticides will incite the
    bees to become aggressive. Use low odor
    pesticides if possible.
  • Residual or Non-Residual if you cannot kill the
    bees at one time use a residual pesticide
  • Speed of Knockdown If treating in the daytime
    use quick knockdown pesticides.
  • Formulation Liquids on swarms outside, dusts
    and aerosols in walls.

32
Avoiding Honey Bee Stinging Problems
  • Stay away from honey bee colonies and hives.
  • Remove any hives or swarms located in or near
    yards.
  • Check work area carefully before using any heavy
    or noisy equipment.
  • Do not tie or pen animals near honey bee
    colonies, no matter how tame the bees may appear.

33
Avoiding Honey bee stings
  • Foraging honey bees are less defensive,
    especially when they are a great distance from
    any hive.

34
Bee Proof Your Property
35
Inspect the site for signs of honey bees
  • Look for numerous bees passing into or out of
    openings.
  • Listen for the hum or buzz of active bees.
  • Check for activity at all levels of any
    structure, particularly along eaves.

36
If you locate a bee swarm or colony
  • Keep everyone away.
  • Have it removed immediately dont wait
  • Contact a licensed pest control operator that
    has experience in eliminating high-risk colonies
    or swarms.
  • Contact a beekeeper in low-risk situations (no
    AHB reported) so that they can remove the swarm.
  • If a colony has set up home in an area that puts
    the general public at risk eliminate the hive.

37
What to do if attacked by AHB
  • Run quickly to the nearest shelter (house or
    car).
  • Protect your head, neck and throat areas, with
    your shirt if necessary, but be careful running.
  • Do not jump into water.
  • Do not flail or swat at bees.

38
Once you have escaped
  • Remove stinger carefully using a credit card or
    real dull knife (do not squeeze the stinger to
    remove it).
  • Seek medical attention if stung more than 15
    times, if stung repeatedly around face or neck or
    if you have a history of problems associated with
    bee stings.
  • Call 911 to report all serious stinging
    incidents.

39
Bee Samples
  • If you encounter a suspected AHB colony or swarm
    in counties other than the 29 listed on the map
  • Call Garry Phillips 405-205-2699 to get a sample
    to send to OSU for DNA testing.

40
Bee Sampling
  • If you want a DNA test of a swarm or colony it
    must be frozen and sent over night delivery
  • Cost of DNA about 50
  • Call Dr. Grantham prior to sending any samples.

Dr. Richard A. Grantham Plant Disease Insect
Diagnostic Lab Entomology and Plant
Pathology Oklahoma State University 127
NRC Stillwater, OK 74078 EMAIL
richard.grantham_at_okstate.edu TEL
405-744-9417 FAX 405-744-6039
41
Living with Africanized Honey Bees Phil
Mulder Extension Entomologist Oklahoma State
University
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