Bees are amazing little animals. While we all know that they serve important agricultural purposes, they can at times appear menacing. Especially if you enjoying lemonade in the middle of the summer. Adults find them bothersome, at times, and little kids are usually terrified of them.

Actually, bees are big business. Commercial bee-keepers maintain thousands of hives. Their bees can be transported to farms, where they are released for crop pollination. After they have earned their keep, they are returned to the bee-keeper's location and await their next paid assignment.

When a honeybee does sting, that is the bee's last act. You see, the stinger is a part of the bee's anatomy. When the bee stings, the stinger becomes lodged in the sting wound, and the bee becomes mortally wounded. I once heard of a lawsuit where a man claimed that after he was stung, the offending bee flew away and summoned other bees for assistance. Of course, this is not possible because honey bees die after they sting.

All honey bees are not equal, however. In 1956, Brazilian researchers accidentally released a hybrid bee that spread through South America and reached the United Stated States in 1990. This new bee is called an Africanized Bee and is nicknamed a killer bee. The name killer bee is more frightening than these bees really are. However, they are more dangerous than old fashioned "European Bees."

In May, Africanized Bees were found in Jacksonville, Florida. This is the first time these bees were found in Florida. Prior to this discovery, some Africanized Bees were found in ships destined for Florida, but never actually on land.

These new fangled bees have also been found in Texas, Arizona California and New Mexico. Three people have been killed as a result of stings in Texas, and another three have thus far died in Arizona. Presumably, they will enter other States as well.

After one attack in Arizona, some citizens called on the government to eradicate this breed of bees. In response, Tucson resident Deborah Strait, who survived 400-500 bee stings, wrote a letter to the Arizona Daily Star entitled "Don't kill the bees." Ms. Strait noted that these bees came to be as a result of Brazilian scientist's experiment that went awry. She also stated that 24 cents of hompathic medicine returned her vital signs back to normal within four hours of the attack.

In New Mexico, Africanized Bees have attacked pets and individuals. In one attack, a city worker disturbed a hive with a backhoe. He suffered two heart attacks following multiple stings and survived.

Last year, Texas authorities quarantined bees found in 102 counties because Africanized Bees were encountered. The quarantine precluded bee keepers from removing their bees out of the quarantine zones.

Africanized Bees look like regular European Bees. Only DNA samples determine whether they are Africanized. What makes them different, in a sense, is that they have "an attitude." When disturbed, they become much more aggressive than European Bees, and they remain in that disturbed state for hours.

The sting from an Africanized Bee is apparently no more dangerous than the sting from a European Bee. What injures, and on rare occasion kills, humans and animals are the number of stings. Because they agitate more readily, when one stings, hundreds can sting. It is the multiple effect of the stings that causes harm.

In 1998, scientists believed they had found a gene which might cause the Africanized Bees to act aggressively. It is hoped that this discovery will assist breeders in their effort to produce calmer bees, rather than aggressive bees.

Bee attacks, both European and Africanized, can be minimized by taking measures to avoid bee nesting areas. Attacks often follow nesting disturbances. When operating machinery, hiking, or playing outdoors, watch and listen for signs of bees. And if you believe you may encounter bees, have an escape route using a car or a building for protection.

Africanized Bees have been located in several states, and perhaps the list of host states will grow. We need to take precautions so that we do not disturb their habitat.

Not everyone finds these bees to be offensive. Take for example a New Jersey community soccer team, called the "Westfield Killer Bees."

Published: August 26, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.