View Full Version : Understanding African Bee Behaviour
Wise Old Owl
11-04-2009, 19:11
Found this NPS pdf for the southern states. Written for hikers.
http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Africanized%20Honey%20Bees.pdf
john gault
11-04-2009, 19:49
I wonder how a black bear would do? (http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=Africanized+Honey+Bees+and+bears&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=NxHySuSVBIGY8Aao3NjzCA&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQqwQwAw)
Doooglas
11-04-2009, 20:18
Hi. Consider me the expert on the "killer" bees.
If you hike into a territory where there are dozens of bees ? Move on quickly.
NEVER 'Swat" at one. He releases a pheromone or hormone that ' calls in the troops"
In small numbers there is no difference to a "regular' bee.
In large numbers they will ......... never mind.
Wise Old Owl
11-07-2009, 21:19
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.
Jonnycat
11-08-2009, 01:57
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.
Um...........
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.I do know they do not like loud noises and sounds, it tends to stir them up. From what I understood they were primarily found in the Southwest part of the country. On another note I know over the last few years a parasite has been killing off whole honey bee colonies, the scientists have been attempting to isolate what it is that is causing this to happen, they actually believe it may be being caused by a combination of factors.
Found this NPS pdf for the southern states. Written for hikers.
http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload (http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Africanized%20Honey%20Bees.pdf)
/Africanized%20Honey%20Bees.pdf (http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Africanized%20Honey%20Bees.pdf)
I live in AZ, I read the link; It is very good information, imho.
My experiences have been low key.
I walked up on a swarming hive that was resting on a tree limb. It was massive. I walked by with no problems but it was a bit creepy. This was in a large desert style park that was in the middle of Phoenix. I would not have done that if I had been walking with my elderly cattle dog.
I was getting into my car from an account and I noticed some bees entering and leaving a sprinkler control box located in the ground. I started my car up, the front bumper was three feet from the box. Several bees came out ( four or five ) and tried to come through my windshield. They were very persistent. A couple actually killed themselves trying to slam through. I informed the receptionist at the front entrance and later she told me that a pest control guy removed a large hive. She thanked me for informing them. The hive was located about 60 feet away from their outdoor picnic tables.
I run into bees all the time in the desert, pollinating flowers. They behave like other bees, but i still mind my manners.:o
What to do if attacked by an Africanized Honey Bee?
- You should.... run like a woman when the police come.
Kerosene
11-08-2009, 17:05
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.As an American football field is 100 yards long (not counting the endzones), then 3 fields is 300 yards, which is equal to 900 feet, which is 10% less than 1000 feet. ;)
john gault
11-08-2009, 17:09
...On another note I know over the last few years a parasite has been killing off whole honey bee colonies...
That's the domesticated European colonies; the Africanized colonies are not suffering from the same parasite. Some has even talked about breeding the two races in order to build up the resistance of the Europeans.
Here is a question for you bee people. This weekend, our group went out in the southern ozarks for a camping weekend. In the middle of nowhere. One person left a pie out! and when we returned we had over 100 honeybees all over our campsite. Not just on the pie, but all over the place. Even after the pie was dispatched, we sill had bees everywhere. They were very docile but definitely honey bees. We did not see a hive. The temp was in the high 70's. Could this have been an italian bee colony that swarmed and relocated in the wooods near us?
ShelterLeopard
11-08-2009, 21:21
This makes me think of the Monty Python Swallow discussion...
(A five ounce swallow cannnot carry a one pound coconut! Unless it's an African Swallow, but those are non-migratory...)
Sorry, Snow Leapord, but it was that kind of weekend. Honey bees everywhere. Except when the local drunken hillbillies showed up at two am and drove around screaming. We were way too close to the Glad Top trail road. Anyway, the bees were a curiosity. Never seen that before at a campsite. These were honey bees, not sweat bees or yellow jackets. As docile as the could be.
Glade Top Trail..Douglas and Ozark County, County, Missouri. Don't.Camp.There.
rainmaker
11-08-2009, 23:19
Sorry, Snow Leapord, but it was that kind of weekend. Honey bees everywhere. Except when the local drunken hillbillies showed up at two am and drove around screaming. We were way too close to the Glad Top trail road. Anyway, the bees were a curiosity. Never seen that before at a campsite. These were honey bees, not sweat bees or yellow jackets. As docile as the could be.
Glade Top Trail..Douglas and Ozark County, County, Missouri. Don't.Camp.There.
Erin,
I am a beekeeper in SC. The bees were just looking for nectar. If your dessert was sweet and moist, that would suffice as will Mountain Dew or other syrup based beverages. Until cold weather finally settles in, foragers will be searching for that last drop of nectar. Somewhere near there, there is a colony of bees either in someone's hive or in a hollow.
Thanks, Rainmaker.
We were on national forest land near no homes and wish we had seen the hive. I had no idea that the foraging bees were this docile. It was a very interesting experience.
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2009, 20:52
As an American football field is 100 yards long (not counting the endzones), then 3 fields is 300 yards, which is equal to 900 feet, which is 10% less than 1000 feet. ;)
Well I appreciate the correction, this was something I observed on the Science Channel and when I tried to look up the details I will admit ...
I GOT CONFUSED... Yes I made a mistake... I am only human
I have worked with Italian & Pa Bees as a beekeeper for three years, I would not wish African bee stings on anyone... today I work in Pest Clean up. Its going to be fun folks... did my first bed bug inspection at a highrise last week... :eek:
All I really remember is that you have to run a long time to avoid African bees.
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2009, 21:07
This makes me think of the Monty Python Swallow discussion...
(A five ounce swallow cannnot carry a one pound coconut! Unless it's an African Swallow, but those are non-migratory...)
My kind of Guy, is it a dead pigeon?
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2009, 21:09
Here is a question for you bee people. This weekend, our group went out in the southern ozarks for a camping weekend. In the middle of nowhere. One person left a pie out! and when we returned we had over 100 honeybees all over our campsite. Not just on the pie, but all over the place. Even after the pie was dispatched, we sill had bees everywhere. They were very docile but definitely honey bees. We did not see a hive. The temp was in the high 70's. Could this have been an italian bee colony that swarmed and relocated in the wooods near us?
They swarm in spring - they found your sweet pie and they can activly move a lot of the sugar back to the hive two or three miles away.
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2009, 21:16
What to do if attacked by an Africanized Honey Bee?
- You should.... run like a woman when the police come.
This isn't the humor forum and If you were attacked by african bees without the knowledge of the first post on what to do from the NPS you should run like a teen girl being chased by a really fast zombie..,:eek:
That's the domesticated European colonies; the Africanized colonies are not suffering from the same parasite. Some has even talked about breeding the two races in order to build up the resistance of the Europeans.
yeah - i'm certain scientists, who know more than the rest of us, have come up with ideas on how to make the world better!
i laugh at this because these scientists are the one's who GOT US INTO THE PROBLEM!
but oh we keep surviving - but someday, we'll find a way to kill ourselves off. :-p
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2009, 21:24
yeah - i'm certain scientists, who know more than the rest of us, have come up with ideas on how to make the world better!
i laugh at this because these scientists are the one's who GOT US INTO THE PROBLEM!
but oh we keep surviving - but someday, we'll find a way to kill ourselves off. :-p
http://macdesktops.com/images/1024x768/BHdrEvil1024x768.jpg
hahahahahahahaha....very nice.
Wise Old Owl
11-09-2009, 21:39
If there is no humor here - well just shoot me...
john gault
11-10-2009, 09:31
yeah - i'm certain scientists, who know more than the rest of us, have come up with ideas on how to make the world better!
i laugh at this because these scientists are the one's who GOT US INTO THE PROBLEM!
but oh we keep surviving - but someday, we'll find a way to kill ourselves off. :-p
I'm not sure how serious or even if the idea came from scientists, just something I heard from a beekeeper.
However, it will happen anyway in nature, if it hasn't happened already. Africanized bees are not that big of an issue, way overblown by the media (although not as much today) the OPs link is pretty good characterization of them; we can learn to live with them.
European honeybees are also an introduced species.
ShelterLeopard
11-10-2009, 12:14
I love that add owl!
ShelterLeopard
11-10-2009, 12:14
Only, I didn't know Doctor Evil had a Death Star...
Gray Blazer
11-10-2009, 13:00
Where do they get those tiny weaves?
I was a beekeeper for several years. I have a couple of tips I would like to share.
Bees like nice days i.e. sunny, temps over 70, low wind. Bees out cruising around
on days like this are “happy Bees”. All they care about is getting food & for the most
part you the hiker does not have anything they want. This is not to say that they will not
come around you but as soon as they figure out that you are not food, they will be on
their way. Just try not to swat at them & if you are carrying something they seem interested in, try to cover it up for a little while and they will give up and go hunt elsewhere.
On the other hand, if the weather is cold or getting ready to rain or windy, bees get
Very nervous. It’s best to keep moving if you come across any bees in this kind of
weather.
Anaphylactic shock can KILL you. If you have never been stung by a bee or wasp
or any of their brethren, I think you can go to an allergist to be tested. When I worked
with bees, I always had an “epipen” in the truck, in case some of the girls decided to come to town with me. :)
Anaphylactic shock is the same reaction that someone that is allergic to peanuts has. Below is a link to some more info on
the epipen.
http://www.epipen.com/page/should-you-get-an-epipen (http://www.epipen.com/page/should-you-get-an-epipen)
Section hiker in planning
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.
Um...........
Three football fields is 900 feet...............:rolleyes:
Wise Old Owl
11-11-2009, 00:22
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.
Three football fields is 900 feet...............:rolleyes:
Thanks Tink I made a mistake....
Well with regular bees one only has to run a 1000 feet from the hive, with African bees it feels like three football feilds.
Three football fields is 900 feet...............:rolleyes:
Three football fields is nothing to these guys of course....