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Bees

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Title: Bees


1
Bees Friend or Foe ????
2
FICTION.
  •  In the movie, The Swarm, great clouds of angry
    bees attack entire cities and stung hundreds of
    people to death. This is pure fiction. It could
    never happen. But folklore like this has arisen
    within the last twenty years regarding the
    Africanized Bee sometimes called
  • "Killer Bee".

3
In the beginning..
  • Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) -- also called
    Africanized bees or killer bees -- are
    descendants of southern African bees imported in
    1956 by Brazilian scientists attempting to breed
    a honey bee better adapted to the South American
    tropics.
  • When some of these bees escaped quarantine in
    1957, they began breeding with local Brazilian
    honey bees, quickly multiplying and extended
    their range throughout South and Central America
    at a rate greater than 200 miles per year. In the
    past decade, AHB began invading North America.
  • Africanized bees acquired the name killer bees
    because they will viciously attack people and
    animals who unwittingly stray into their
    territory, often resulting in serious injury or
    death.
  • In May of 1991, Jesus Diaz became the first
    person to be attacked by AHB in the U.S. while
    mowing a lawn in the border city of Brownsville,
    Texas. Diaz suffered 18 stings and was treated at
    a local hospital.
  • On July 15, 1993, 82-year-old Lino Lopez became
    the first person to die in the U.S. from
    Africanized honey bee stings. He was stung more
    than 40 times while trying to remove a colony
    from a wall in an abandoned building on his ranch
    near Harlingen, Texas.

4
The Africanized bee escaped and began to dominate
the honey bee.
  •  The new hybrid, called an Africanized Bee, took
    many years but it established colonies
    throughout South and Central America. The bee is
    aggressive, easily agitated, and generally a bee
    with a bad attitude.

5
Where are they???
  • The Africanized bee as expected, spread across
    the southern part of the country, where the
    winters aren't so harsh. Some scientists and
    entomologists believe that the Africanized bees
    will be able to adapt to colder weather and roam
    as far north as Montana.

6
COLONY LIFE
  • The four life stages of a Africanized Bee include
    egg, larva, pupa and adult. It takes about
    twenty-one days for a regular worker to fully
    develop from an egg, sixteen days for a queen,
    and twenty-four days for a drone. Drones usually
    live five to ten weeks. Workers usually live
    fifty days. All the workers are females
  •      Queens live an average of one to three
    years. There is only one surviving queen bee in
    each colony. She mates with many drones (male
    bees), and may lay 1500 eggs per day.

7
swa
SWARMING
  • When the beehive is overpopulated, Africanized
    Bees swarm to a local area to start a new hive.
    Too much warm or cold weather may cause swarming.
    Only one queen bee will rule. When the two queens
    reach the adult stage, they battle to the death
    for control of the hive. The cycle of swarming
    continues until the hive is worn out. If you are
    in the path of a swarm of Africanized Bees, you
    have a seventy-five percent chance of a deadly
    attack.

8
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES??
  • European Honey Bees
  • Pollinate flowers and crops
  • Calmed by smoke
  • Swarm only when crowded
  • Africanized Bees
  • More aggressive
  • Attack in larger groups
  • Make less honey
  • Make less wax
  • Hate high pitched sounds
  • Swarm more often

9
What causes bees to attack?
  •  Africanized bees react to disturbance around
    the hive. They can stay angry for days after
    being disturbed. If one bee stings, it releases
    an alarm
  • that smells like bananas. This pheromone
    causes
  • the other bees to become agitated and sting.
    The Africanized Bee, like the honey bee, dies
    when it stings. The tiny barbs on the stinger
    stick in the victim. When the bee tries to fly
    away, it rips its abdomen and eventually dies.
    Under usual circumstances, the result is
    discomfort for the
  • human but death for the bee.

10
The Attack!!!
  •  An extremely aggressive Africanized bee colony
    may attack any 'threat' within 100 ft. and pursue
    for up to one-fourth a mile.
  • Generally, Africanized bees attack
  • only when the colony is threatened
  • when loud noises, strong odors or fragrances,
    shiny jewelry, and dark clothes are perceived as
    threats
  • the face and ankles

11
When your attacked??
  • Africanized bees are slow fliers and most healthy
    people can out run them.
  • Run away in a straight line, protecting your
    face. Avoid other people, or they too will be
    attacked.
  • Do not try and hide underwater. The Africanized
    bee swarm will wait for you to surface.

12
If your stung..
  • Seek medical attention. Some people are allergic
    to bee stings causing anaphylactic shock. Since
    Africanized bees attack and sting in great
    numbers, it is possible that an allergic response
    may be triggered.

13
F.A.Q
  • Q How much honey does a European bee colony
    produce compared to an African bee colony?
  • A European bee colony produces five times more
    honey than a Africanized bee colony.
  • Q What is anaphylactic shock?
  • A Most cells release histamine and other
    biologically active substances. The venom
    promotes histamine release from mast cells and
    basophils (especially in sensitized individuals),
    which under the right circumstances, can lead to
    vasodilation and loss of blood pressure. If this
    response is not reversed within a short time, the
    person may die of shock.

14
FAQ II
  • Q Why does one third of the U.S. food
    production depend on bees?
  • A Bees pollinate flowers that turn into fruit
    and vegetables, plants and trees.
    (natural/organic foods)
  • Q How does a queen bee control her nest?
  • A The queen releases a pheromone that
    identifies her as the queen.
  • Q What happened to Brazil's honey production as
    a result of the introduction of killer bees?
  • A Brazil went from fourth in world honey
    production to twenty-seventh by the early 1990's.

15
Why is the bee so angry?
  • Q Why is the Africanized bee so defensive?
  • Color, size and shape are traits that bees pass
    along from generation to generation through genes
    contained in cells. The Africanized bee is a
    dangerous hybrid, passing down the trait of
    defensiveness to each offspring.

16
Plans to stop them.
  • Entomologists in Texas are working hard to
    track the northward spread of Africanized bees.
    The bees are tracked with traps. Usually these
    traps are nothing more than cardboard boxes
    covered with blue protective plastic, hung in
    trees. The traps are baited with a liquid similar
    to the pheromone that directs a swarm looking for
    a home. In Texas, more than 1,200 bee traps have
    been set along hundreds of miles of roadway.
    European honey bee sperm is inserted into a
    Africanized bee queen. The queen is then released
    into the wild. Scientists are hoping the injected
    Killer Bee queen will produce less aggressive
    bees and pass the gene to the offspring. So far,
    not enough queens have been released into the
    wild to determine if this plan will be
    successful.

17
BEE VENOM
18
What is Bee Venom?
  • Bee venom is a complex composition of enzymes,
    proteins and amino acids. It is a colorless clear
    liquid, with a sweet taste and a little bitter.
    It is soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol and
    ammonium sulphate. If is comes in contact with
    air, it forms, opaque or grayish-white crystals.

19
What type of conditions is Bee venom used to
treat?
  • Bee venom simulates the release of cortisone
    (cortisol) and is therefore effective in the
    treatment of rheumatic diseases, especially
    arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). It can be
    applied directly or by intramuscular injections.
  • Other treatments, such as electrotherapy, hormone
    therapy, can help to eliminate particular
    deformations, improve joint movement and raise
    the general state of the organism. Two products
    developed in Bucharest, an ointment - Apireven -
    and a liniment both have been used successfully
    in several cases of rheumatoid polyarthritis. The
    results have shown an important reduction in
    muscular pain, sciatic pain, nerve pain,
    neuromialgias and intercostal and bronchial nerve
    pain.
  • Applying the venom topically can provide a
    long-lasting effect and can offer significant
    benefits in arthritic and rheumatic conditions.

20
U.S. BEEKEEPERS WORRIED?
  •      The bad temper of the Africanized bee,
    coupled with its ability to dominate a honey bee
    region and reduce honey bee production, makes
    beekeepers anxious. Americans eat about 275
    million pounds of honey each year. Beehive
    products also include wax used in candles,
    polish, and floor wax. Scientists disagree on the
    Africanized bee's ability to adapt to new
    environments nor how widely it will range. Also
    of concern is the possibility of relocating
    Africanized bee hives without causing an angry
    swarm.

21
The need for the Bee.
  • Honey bees pollinate 1/3 of all the worlds
    natural foods more importantly more than ½ of
    all Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavors rely on them.

22
How can I avoid an encounter with unfriendly
Africanized honey bees?
  • The best safety advice is to avoid an encounter
    with unfriendly Africanized Bees. Be alert for
    danger. Remember that AHB sting to defend their
    colony, so be on the look out for honey bee
    swarms and colonies.

23
Protecting yourself ..
  • Be alert for bees coming in and out of an
    opening such as a crack in a wall, or the hole in
    a utility box. Listen for the hum of an active
    bee colony.Look for bees in holes in the
    ground, holes in trees or cacti, and in
    sheds.Be extra careful when moving junk that
    has been lying around.Be alert for bees that
    are acting strangely. Quite often bees will
    display some preliminary defensive behavior
    before going into a full-fledged attack.

24
FYI.
  • When you are outdoors, in a rural area, a park or
    wilderness reserve, be aware of your surroundings
    and keep an eye out for bees the way you would
    watch out for snakes and other natural
    dangers.Don't panic at the sight of a few bees
    foraging in the flowers. Bees are generally very
    docile as they go about their normal activities.

25
How can I reduce the chance Africanized honey
bees will attack me if they are around me?
  • Wear light-colored clothing. Bees tend to attack
    dark things. Dark clothing, dark hair, any thing
    dark in color could draw the animus of AHB.
  • Bees are sensitive to odors, both pleasant and
    unpleasant. The smell of newly cut grass has been
    shown to disturb honey bees. Avoid wearing floral
    or citrus aftershaves or perfume.
  • Check your house and yard at least once a month
    to see if there are any signs of bees taking up
    residence. If you do find a swarm or colony,
    leave it be and keep family and pets away. Find a
    pest control company or a local beekeeper to
    solve the problem.
  • To help prevent honey bees from building a colony
    in your house or yard, fill all cracks and
    crevices in walls with steel wool and caulk.
    Remove piles of refuse, honey bees will nest in
    an old soda can or an overturned flower pot. Fill
    holes in the ground.
  • When hiking, avoid hiking off trails. Bring some
    bug spray, bee spray, a GPS, and your cell phone
    with you just in case.
  • Be alert for bees acting strangely. If one or two
    start to bump at you, especially at your head,
    take notice and possibly vacate the vicinity.

26
Remember..
  • It is not necessary to disturb the hive itself to
    initiate an AHB attack. In fact, Africanized bees
    have been know to respond viciously to mundane
    occurrences, including noises or even vibrations
    from vehicles, equipment and pedestrians.
  • Though their venom is no more potent than native
    honey bees, Africanized bees attack in far
    greater numbers and pursue perceived enemies for
    greater distances. Once disturbed, colonies may
    remain agitated for 24 hours, attacking people
    and animals within a range of a quarter mile from
    the hive.
  • The Africanized bee is widely feared by the
    public, a reaction that has been amplified by
    sensationalist movies and some of the media
    reports. Stings from Africanized bees kill 1-2
    people per year in the United States, a rate that
    makes them more dangerous than venomous snakes,
    particularly since, unlike snakes, they are found
    only in a small portion of the country.
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