BEE SAFETY
PROTECT YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY, HOME, AND PROPERTY FROM HONEY BEES.
CALL US. 559-904-0385
- STAY AWAY FROM ALL HONEY BEE SWARMS AND COLONIES.
- GET AWAY FROM BEES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
- WHILE RUNNING AWAY PROTECT YOUR FACE AND EYES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
- TAKE SHELTER IN AN ENCLOSED AREA SUCH AS A CAR, TRUCK OR BUILDING.
- DO NOT HIDE IN WATER OR THICK BRUSH.
- DO NOT STAND STILL AND SWAT AT BEES.
- RAPID MOVEMENTS WILL CAUSE THEM TO STING.
WHAT TO DO IF STUNG
- GET AWAY FROM BEES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. GO TO A SAFE AREA AWAY FROM THE BEES SUCH AS INSIDE A CAR, TRUCK OR BUILDING.
- PULL OR SCRAPE STINGERS FROM SKIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MOST VENOM IS RELEASED WITHIN 1 MINUTE.
- WASH STUNG AREAS WITH SOAP AND WATER LIKE ANY OTHER WOUND TO PREVENT INFECTION.
- APPLY ICE TO RELIEVE PAIN AND SWELLING.
- SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IF BREATHING IS DIFFICULT, IF STUNG MANY TIMES, OR IF ALLERGIC TO BEE STINGS.
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
- Listen for buzzing and look for bees entering or leaving the same area indicating a nest or swarm of bees.
- Carefully enter sheds and outbuildings where bees may nest.
- Examine work areas prior to using noisy power equipment such as lawn mowers, weed cutters, and chain saws.
- Examine areas for bees before tying up or penning pets and livestock.
- Never disturb a swarm or colony of bees - contact A1 Bee Removal Service.
- Teach children to be caution around and respectful to all bees.
- If you know you are allergic to bee stings check with your doctor about a sting kit.
- Have a bee safety plan in place for your family.
POTENTIAL NESTING SITES
Bees will choose a nesting site in many places where people may disturb them. Nesting cavities may include: buckets, cans, empty boxes, old tires, or any container ranging in volume from as little as 2 to 10 gallons and more. Bees will also choose infrequently used vehicles, lumber piles, holes and cavities in fences, trees, and the ground, in sheds, garages, and other outbuildings between walls or in the open, low decks or spaces under buildings.
IMPORTANT: REMOVE POTENTIAL NEST SITES AROUND BUILDINGS.
Call 559-904-0385 if you find bees on your property. Do not attempt to exterminate them yourself.
BEE PROOFING YOUR BUILDINGS AND YARD
- Remove potential nesting sites.
- Inspect outside walls and eves of your house and other buildings.
- Seal opening greater than 1/8-inch in walls, around chimneys, plumbing, and other openings.
- Install screens (1/8-inch hardware cloth) over rain spouts, vents, cavities of trees and fence posts, water meter/utility boxes, etc.
- From spring through the fall inspect once or twice per week for bee activity around your house and yard.
AFRICANIZED AND EUROPEAN HONEY BEES
Africanized honey bees are well established in the wild population of honey bees in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The Africanized bee is a hybrid (mixture) of African and European honey bee subspecies. Both are not native to the Americas. As a hybrid the Africanized bee appears identical to European honey bees. Individual foraging European and Africanized bees are highly unlikely to sting. A swarm rarely stings people when in flight or temporarily at rest. However, established Africanized colonies are more highly defensive toward perceived predators than European colonies.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN AFRICANIZED BEES AND HONEY BEES
- Look the same
- Protect their nests from predators by stinging
- An individual bee can sting only once and then dies
- Have the same kind of venom
- Pollinate flowers, produce honey and wax
AFRICANIZED BEES
- Respond quickly to disturbances by people and animals 50 feet or more from the nest.
- Sense vibrations from power equipment 100 feet or more from the nest.
- Sting in large numbers.
- Will chase an enemy up to a 1/4 mile or more.
- Have a higher rate of reproduction (swarm more frequently).
- Nest in smaller cavities and sometimes underground (e.g. water meters and animal burrows).
HABITAT
Africanized bees will nest almost anywhere around your home, even inside a meter box or in a rain spout. It's important to be on the lookout for bees around your home and yard, as well as in barns and pens where animals are confined.
Potential Bee Nesting Sites Near Your Home
- Holes or cracks in building walls
- Holes in trees
- Underneath mobile homes
- Culverts or drainage pipes
- Flower pots
- Old tires
- Bird houses
- Barns or sheds
- Woodpiles
- Wooden spools often used as playground equipment
Outdoor Recreation and Bees
Outdoor activities such as hunting, camping hiking and even picnicking can put you at greater risk of unknowingly disturbing a hive of Africanized honey bees.
When participating in outdoor recreational activities, watch for numbers of bees flying around the vicinity and listen for buzzing sounds. If you encounter either, leave the area immediately.
When picking out a picnic site or setting up camp, first scout the area for bees. Never let young children play in an area you have not checked for bees.
Never climb into a hunting blind without checking for bees and beehives first. Watch for bees flying in or out of the blind.
When hiking, listen and watch for bees. Never step on or turn over logs or rocks where bees may be nesting.
When activities take you into outdoor areas where bees may be nesting, have an escape plan.
Potential Bee Nesting Sites in Recreational Areas
- Tree hollows
- Piles of rocks
- Rotted or hollow logs
- Underneath picnic tables
- Park shelters
- Park trash cans
- Stacks of firewood
- Hunting blinds
- Wood duck boxes
- Bird houses
- Wind mills
Source materials: Texas A & M.....UC Riverside