Hiker Killed by Bees

[Pedaling Fool]

This happened in Arizona on the Merkle Memorial trail in Usery Mountain park. Authorities still haven't released the species involved, probably Africanized bees, but it's possible it was the less aggressive European honeybees.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-in-ariz-park/

...just before 9 a.m. when he and a friend were suddenly attacked by thousands of bees.“Without provocation or warning, a large swarm of bees descended on both of them as they continued on the trail,” the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Bestler’s friend, identified in the statement only as Sonya, was ahead of him on the trail. She was able to scramble to a restroom to escape the swarm.

When Sonya alerted another hiker to the attack, the man went back to check on Bestler only to find him at the center of a thick, dark cloud of insects.

“Alex was located lying on the ground still covered by bees and he was not able to approach due to the aggressiveness of the bees,” the statement says.

When park employees arrived, they, too, were “forced back by the bees.”

As the swarm stung Bestler over and over again, rescuers tried to reach him several times but couldn’t get close before they were driven away by the insects.

Finally, Allen Romer arrived to the park. The MCSO sergeant jumped on a park utility task vehicle, or UTV, and raced to Bestler’s location.

“With the assistance of two Rural Metro Fire Fighters, Sgt. Romer was able to load Alex onto the UTV and remove him from the scene, still covered with bees, and a swarm pursuing,” according to the statement. “Upon arrival at the emergency vehicles’ location, the bees had dissipated to the point of safety, that fire personnel began life saving measures.”

Bestler was whisked to Desert Vista Hospital but not in time. He died after arrival.

[AfterParty]

Man that would really stink. Soo sad.

[fiddlehead]

Yeah, bad way to go.
I can't imagine it.
RIP.

Here in Thailand, there are wasps (sometimes called "Tiger wasps") that have been known to kill and elephant (google it if you like)
I've been stung 4 times by them and it really hurts.
2 stings at once, in my head.
It really hurt.
For a long time (24 hours)

Normally they are not aggressive although if you step near their nest (in the ground) they get mad.

I wonder if this was something similar? (stepping near their ground nest?)

[rocketsocks]

What a way to go, damn.

[Pedaling Fool]

Yeah, bad way to go.
I can't imagine it.
RIP.

Here in Thailand, there are wasps (sometimes called "Tiger wasps") that have been known to kill and elephant (google it if you like)
I've been stung 4 times by them and it really hurts.
2 stings at once, in my head.
It really hurt.
For a long time (24 hours)

Normally they are not aggressive although if you step near their nest (in the ground) they get mad.

I wonder if this was something similar? (stepping near their ground nest?)

I believe you're speaking of either the Asian Predatory Wasp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_predatory_wasp or the Giant Asian Hornet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet , which is the largest in the world and very aggressively protect their nest. They also say that lone scouts can be quite aggressive when away from the nest, but that's probably hyperbole.

What's interesting is, thanks to global trade, it seems like the Asian Predatory Wasp (but some reports make it sound like it's the Giant Asian Hornet -- I'm a little confused..) is now in France and has reportedly killed about six people. Apparently they arrived on shipping containers that were carrying potted plants...Kind of makes me want to buy some potted plants from Asia

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014...n_5158733.html



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/eart...echniques.html

Britain has sent a crack team of insect experts to France to learn how to kill Asian hornets in preparation for an invasion of the deadly predators in the UK, it has emerged.The insects, which the Government says could pose a “significant threat to human health”, have killed at least seven people in France since 2004 and feast on honey bees, picking them off one by one as they come and go from their hives.

The hornets are widely expected to make their way to the UK soon – either as stowaways in vehicles or goods, or simply by flying across the Channel.

There have now been more than 1,000 “suspect reports” from worried members of the public who believe they have spotted the creatures over the past four years, a Government strategy published this week reveals.

Although all reports have so far proved negative, the document shows that Britain is taking the threat so seriously that it has sent a rapid “response team” to France for training, as part of an unprecedented contingency plan for dealing with the insects.

.

[Greenlight]

The news story I saw stated they were Africanized bees. Ugh. Just did some research that stated the average adult, one not allergic to bee stings, can survive ten stings per pound of body weight. I would not want to be that guy.

So sad.

[Pedaling Fool]

No, the articles I've read are definitely NOT talking about Africanized bees; although, I'm not sure if Europe has that problem or not, I've never heard of a report, but that doesn't mean anything. You'd think they'd have problems before us, given their proximity, but the only reason we have the problem with Africanized bees is because a scientist in Brazil doing research on them and they accidentally got out.

http://www.utahcountybeekeepers.org/...oney_bees.html

African honey bees were first imported to the Americas in 1956 by the prominent Brazilian geneticist, Warwick Kerr. He thought there was a good possibility that he could utilize African stock to produce a new breed of honey bees, which would be less defensive than the wild African bees but which would be more productive than European honey bees (EHB) in Brazil's tropical setting. Kerr was able to acquire 63 live queens from South African beekeepers. These were later taken to a quarantine area at an agricultural research station near Rio Claro, where 48 queens survived till the next year. Through selective breeding with European drones, Kerr and his associates had produced a number of first generation hybrids, now known as Africanized honey bees.

After several months of this activity, natural attrition had reduced their stock of Africanized honey bees to 29 which were maintained in hive boxes equipped with queen excluders. In October of 1957 (according to Kerr), a local beekeeper wandered by, noticed the queen excluders and removed them. In any case, as the story goes, the removal of the excluders accidentally released 26 Africanized honey bee queens with small swarms into the nearby forest. Kerr hoped the escaped bees would either perish in the wild or mate with European honey bees and eventually lose their African characteristics.

Within a few years, however, reports began arriving from surrounding areas of wild bees relentlessly attacking farm animals and even humans. Many poor Brazilian farmers suffered livestock losses, and, eventually, there were human fatalities as well. By the early 1960s, it was clear that a rapid expansion had occurred among feral bee colonies and that the Africanized honey bees were moving quickly into other parts of the country. While European honey bee swarms might disperse only a few miles and then look for an ideal place to establish themselves, swarms of Africanized honey bees can move 60 miles or more at a time and build their nests in a variety of locations. In October 1986, they reached Mexico.

[Pedaling Fool]

The news story I saw stated they were Africanized bees. Ugh. Just did some research that stated the average adult, one not allergic to bee stings, can survive ten stings per pound of body weight. I would not want to be that guy.

So sad.

Whoops, I mis-read your post and erroneously responded above (I thought your comment was in response to my post #5 above).

After re-reading your post, I think you're saying that the bees that killed the hiker were Africanized. I haven't heard that, but I'll check the news later...

[Shutterbug]

Whoops, I mis-read your post and erroneously responded above (I thought your comment was in response to my post #5 above).

After re-reading your post, I think you're saying that the bees that killed the hiker were Africanized. I haven't heard that, but I'll check the news later...

I live in Arizona during the winter. The "experts" on Tucson tv stations say that all of the bees in southern Arizona are "Africanized." They also say that the sting of an Africanized bee is no more potent than the sting of a European bee. The difference between them is that Africanized bees are more aggressive.

[Pedaling Fool]

I live in Arizona during the winter. The "experts" on Tucson tv stations say that all of the bees in southern Arizona are "Africanized." They also say that the sting of an Africanized bee is no more potent than the sting of a European bee. The difference between them is that Africanized bees are more aggressive.

I don't know if they are all Africanized, that sounds dubious; however, I agree with the other two points, that their sting is no different than a European honeybee and that they are very much more aggressive in protecting their hive -- that's the only thing that makes their sting more dangerous, is that they all attack in a very aggressive manner and they will chase you much further (about 1/4-mile) than a European honeybee.

I also know that if you have a garden that is pollinated by honeybees, that you would have no idea if the bees are European or Africanized. There are some field tests that one can do, for example measuring the length of the wings, but the only real way to tell is thru a DNA test.

Also a very protective hive is not a sure way to find out. Many thought these were Africanized bees, but it turns out they were your typical Europeans.
They terrorized a whole neighborhood and killed two dogs, but they were simply European honeybees.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...-2-7470176.php

The Concord beekeeper who set off an attack by a swarm of suspected “killer bees” over the weekend was an experienced hobbyist who had the beehives for 15 years and didn’t notice anything amiss with his honeybees until he tried to move the hives so his father could do some backyard landscaping.

Nothing was out of the ordinary when Arthur Janke, 41, moved the first hive on Friday. But when he tried to move the second one, those bees went berserk, stinging him despite his bee suit, attacking his parents and rampaging out into the neighborhood around Hitchcock Road, stinging neighbors, passersby, a mail carrier and pets. Two dogs that were repeatedly stung died.

The terrifying incident comes months after scientists confirmed that Africanized killer bees had migrated from Southern California and were in the Bay Area, at the edge of Briones Regional Park.

The DNA test result showing they were not the Killer bees: http://preview.cmf.sfgate.com/bayare...ey-7943086.php



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[Bronk]

Many beekeepers that live in areas that have been infiltrated with Africanized bees will buy new queens every year from suppliers that live further north where there are no African bees. This is the only way they can keep bees because if they try to breed their own queens there is always the possibility of getting African genetics from wild bees in the area. If a hive gets too aggressive they don't take chances and exterminate the hive.