All kidding aside, those leading groups with folks that are allergic should take note. What are people bringing to deal with an allergic reaction?
Angry bees attack, state tests to see if they’re ‘killer’ breed
By Mark Havnes
The Salt Lake Tribune Updated: 08/19/2009 06:19:34 PM MDT
Beryl » Jim Hunting stood outside his house in Beryl on Wednesday, watching as a state agriculture inspector collected bees from inside the rusty frame of an old Caterpillar tractor.
Hunting said he unknowingly disturbed the hive on Monday in the western Iron County community, angering bees that attacked in a swarm.
“It wasn’t pleasant,” said Hunting. “I was trying to move some stuff and stirred up a nest I didn’t know was there. They were very aggressive.”
Hunting said he turned on a garden hose and doused himself.
“I don’t know if that helped or not because I kept getting stung,” he said. He finally was able to get inside his pickup after being stung 25 to 30 times.
His mother Yula, who saw the attack from the house, called 911 and an ambulance was sent to the house. Hunting said he was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City for observation and released later that day.
The bees swarmed again Wednesday when Sterling Bascom, the inspector with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, collected some of the insects to determine if they are the Africanized “killer” strain of honey bee.
Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than their European cousins, were detected in Utah in February 2009.
“I’m guessing that they are Africanized bees because of how agitated they are,” said Bascom of the hive in the tractor.
Bascom said it is Advertisement impossible to distinguish the Africanized bee without genetic testing.
Dressed in protective gear, and assisted by a local beekeeper, Bascom used a small vacuum cleaner to suck up some of the bees he then put in plastic bags and labeled. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Danielle Downey, a bee specialist with the agriculture department, said Africanized bees were brought to Brazil in 1956 by a researcher. Some escaped and worked their way north. They first appeared in the United States in Texas in 1990 and have been working their way north through Arizona and Nevada since, and were found in Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah early this year. Since then, several colonies have been detected in Iron County, including some in the eaves of a house in Cedar City that were destroyed by an exterminator.
Downey said the Africanized bee can live in smaller spaces than the European variety and survives in colder climates by building hives in protected areas such as attics or sheds. The bees can be transported by trucks, where they stow away in pipes and other parts.
She said if Africanized bees are found on private property, it is up to the owner to have the bees exterminated.
Once a female bee stings a person, she said, its stinger injects venom and breaks off, killing the bee. The stinger also produces an “alarm” pheromone that attracts other bees to whatever has been stung.
If attacked, the best thing to do is get to a closed space like a structure or vehicle, Downey said.
Sam Taylor, the Beryl beekeeper assisting Bascom, said it is understandable why the bees get so angry when their hives are disturbed.
“If some one is messing with your house, like kicking in your door, what would you do?” he said.
mhavnes@sltrib.com
bodhijoe
Ha ha, correct, Tom, if I’m in the backcountry and I see somebody in anaphylactic shock, you bet I will offer them my epipen.
I’m coming from a slightly different perspective since I have used epinephine on myself a few times in the past few years. I don’t wait until I can’t breathe or my eyes are swollen shut to self-administer. I give it to yourself as soon as I sense that my body is beginning to over-react to an antigen (advice from my doctor and separately from my mother who is a retired pathologist and head of immunology at her hospital).
Personal story… I had never been allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, but three years ago, I was sitting at work and my lip just began to swell up on its own. It got serious enough where my co-workers noticed and recommended I go to the emergency room. It never quite got life critical, but I could feel the swelling begin around my neck and random other parts of my body as well. The doctor shot me up with epinephrine to be safe and kept an eye on me for several hours before things calmed down and I was released. Allergy tests showed I had recently come to dislike almonds. (I had eaten more than usual that week and I had also been using some lotion that contained artificial almond flavor, so the theory is that my body was fed up with too much real and fake almond and now considered it an attacker.) I had two more incidents like this, but several years later, allergies show that I’m not at all allergic to almonds.
Points my mom likes to make: allergens and allergic reactions are not always predictable. Allergies do come and go, and more often then not, people develop more allergies over the years, and peoples’ bodies can and do overreact unpredictably when attacked by a foreign substance. If I got stung by a bee or two and my only symptoms were a localized red sore and itch, I wouldn’t think twice about it. But as soon as I feel random itching or lumps on other parts of my body that were not directly in contact, I know that’s a sign that worse things are about to happen and it’s time to respond. Epipen to my rescue! YMMV.
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “ratagonia” wrote:
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bodhijoe” wrote:
> But like I said in my original post, I would hesitate to offer this
to a stranger, as I am not their doctor and know nothing about their
medical background. -Joe
I doubt that, Joe – I just don’t have you pegged as a sociopath!
The Epi pen is not used when someone gets stung by a bee or eats a peanut by accident – its used when someone has an anaphylactic systemic reaction and their airway closes to the point where they are unable to breath. I bet, when they are turning blue and looking at you with bulging eyeballs, you’d be digging in your pack like a fury!
Tom >
restrac2000
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bodhijoe” wrote:
On every backpack trip, I bring along an epipen (epinephrine), even though it’s so bulky. Being a bottom-feeder har har! , I “lead” only my father and my wife and I bring it for any of us. (Not sure if I would offer it to a stranger.) It’s quite the rush to deliberately stab yourself in the leg. >
Thanks for bringing this thread up, Ram. It has been a while since I have reviewed this material (my WFR is now expired). I carried an Epi-kit for years with the therapy programs I worked for and never had to use it, consider myself lucky there. In the field I had several students with severe allergies who actually got stung but who were well trained by their physicians to pay attention to the initial symptoms. I never had anyone experience systemic reactions and a couple doses of Benadryl always did the job. That said, I have recently been on a raft trip with my new sister who has a history of allergic reactions to bee stings. She normally swells up which can be a frightening experience. She carries her own Epi-pen and knows how to administer is herself.
While most of will not likely ever need an Epi-pen (I don’t know much about reactions to attacks from Africanized bees) it always good to check in with partners about known allergies or medical conditions before heading into the field. If they have an allergy problem, ask them what they carry and when they carry it. If you spend a lot of time with anaphylactics, its a good idea to be trained in Epi-pen use. Many times a doctor’s office will have a fake Epi-pen (needleless) that they can teach with.
Reminds me of annual training at the wilderness program I worked at. When it came time to review the procedure at in-service they chose to use real needles filled with saline solution. I have a noticeable fear of needles (or did before I had surgery and 100+ blood samples taken this year). It was quite the sight to see 50+ outdoorsman (glorified dirt-bags, most us were) walking around with needles. Eeeh. Being jabbed with one of the buggers is pretty painless, though. Can’t say I have ever experienced the actual injection, imagine that increase in blood pressure is pretty darn noticeable though.
Phillip
ratagonia
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bodhijoe” wrote:
> But like I said in my original post, I would hesitate to offer this > to a stranger, as I am not their doctor and know nothing about their > medical background. -Joe >
I doubt that, Joe – I just don’t have you pegged as a sociopath!
The Epi pen is not used when someone gets stung by a bee or eats a peanut by accident – its used when someone has an anaphylactic systemic reaction and their airway closes to the point where they are unable to breath. I bet, when they are turning blue and looking at you with bulging eyeballs, you’d be digging in your pack like a fury!
Tom
ratagonia
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bodhijoe” wrote:
Epinephrine is primarily to help with allergic reactions and for stopping a systemic anaphylactic reaction. Most people do have allergic reactions to bee stings, although they are mostly localized (swelling and itching) and not-at-all life threatening. Benadryl is also useful (although not as potent) and so is cortisol cream (although who caries that around on a hike?). If you are stung by a LOT of bees, you are still at risk of having a systemic reaction to the attack even if you don’t consider yourself allergic to a bee sting — your body may panic and decide that it’s time to overreact. >
The Epi stops the systemic reaction, giving time for the Benedryl to suppress the allergic reaction. In the city, with the EMTs on the way, the Epi pen is what counts. In the wild, it takes BOTH to achieve a high liklihood of success. The Benedryl is the medicine – the epi prevents death so the Benedryl can be administered.
If you are an anaphylactic, you can improve your odds further by carrying more than one dose of epi. Again, if the EMTs will be there in ten minutes, not an issue. If you are backcountry, after the initial systemic collapse is handled by the epi, a second collapse after then first epi wears off is somewhere between possible and likely.
Tom
bodhijoe
P.S. Underscoring Phillip’s point, epinephrine is a controlled substance and it’s good to know about and have if it’s useful to you, especially if you have a tendency for anaphylaxis or allergic reactions. (Epinephrine does a lot more than just restrict your blood vessels; it also surpresses your immune system’s reaction.) But like I said in my original post, I would hesitate to offer this to a stranger, as I am not their doctor and know nothing about their medical background. -Joe
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bodhijoe” wrote:
Epinephrine is primarily to help with allergic reactions and for stopping a systemic anaphylactic reaction. Most people do have allergic reactions to bee stings, although they are mostly localized (swelling and itching) and not-at-all life threatening. Benadryl is also useful (although not as potent) and so is cortisol cream (although who caries that around on a hike?). If you are stung by a LOT of bees, you are still at risk of having a systemic reaction to the attack even if you don’t consider yourself allergic to a bee sting — your body may panic and decide that it’s time to overreact.
> — In Yahoo Canyons Group, Luke Galyan wrote:
I thought epipens worked only for those with alergic reaction. Does an epipen work for those with no alergies in the event they are stung by a LOT of bees?
bodhijoe wrote:
>On every backpack trip, I bring along an epipen (epinephrine), even though it’s so bulky. Being a bottom-feeder har har! , I “lead” only my father and my wife and I bring it for any of us. (Not sure if I would offer it to a stranger.) It’s quite the rush to deliberately stab yourself in the leg.
>— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “adkramoo” wrote:
>
> All kidding aside, those leading groups with folks that are allergic should take note. What are people bringing to deal with an allergic reaction?
>
> Angry bees attack, state tests to see if they’re ‘killer’ breed
>
> By Mark Havnes
>
> The Salt Lake Tribune
>> Updated: 08/19/2009 06:19:34 PM MDT
>
> Beryl » Jim Hunting stood outside his house in Beryl on Wednesday, watching as a state agriculture inspector collected bees from inside the rusty frame of an old Caterpillar tractor.
>
> Hunting said he unknowingly disturbed the hive on Monday in the western Iron County community, angering bees that attacked in a swarm.
>
> “It wasn’t pleasant,” said Hunting. “I was trying to move some stuff and stirred up a nest I didn’t know was there. They were very aggressive.”
>
> Hunting said he turned on a garden hose and doused himself.
>
> “I don’t know if that helped or not because I kept getting stung,” he said. He finally was able to get inside his pickup after being stung 25 to 30 times.
>
> His mother Yula, who saw the attack from the house, called 911 and an ambulance was sent to the house. Hunting said he was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City for observation and released later that day.
>
> The bees swarmed again Wednesday when Sterling Bascom, the inspector with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, collected some of the insects to determine if they are the Africanized “killer” strain of honey bee.
>
> Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than their European cousins, were detected in Utah in February 2009.
>
> “I’m guessing that they are Africanized bees because of how agitated they are,” said Bascom of the hive in the tractor.
>
> Bascom said it is
>> Advertisement
>> impossible to distinguish the Africanized bee without genetic testing.
>
> Dressed in protective gear, and assisted by a local beekeeper, Bascom used a small vacuum cleaner to suck up some of the bees he then put in plastic bags and labeled. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
>
> Danielle Downey, a bee specialist with the agriculture department, said Africanized bees were brought to Brazil in 1956 by a researcher. Some escaped and worked their way north. They first appeared in the United States in Texas in 1990 and have been working their way north through Arizona and Nevada since, and were found in Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah early this year. Since then, several colonies have been detected in Iron County, including some in the eaves of a house in Cedar City that were destroyed by an exterminator.
>
> Downey said the Africanized bee can live in smaller spaces than the European variety and survives in colder climates by building hives in protected areas such as attics or sheds. The bees can be transported by trucks, where they stow away in pipes and other parts.
>
> She said if Africanized bees are found on private property, it is up to the owner to have the bees exterminated.
>
> Once a female bee stings a person, she said, its stinger injects venom and breaks off, killing the bee. The stinger also produces an “alarm” pheromone that attracts other bees to whatever has been stung.
>
> If attacked, the best thing to do is get to a closed space like a structure or vehicle, Downey said.
>
> Sam Taylor, the Beryl beekeeper assisting Bascom, said it is understandable why the bees get so angry when their hives are disturbed.
>
> “If some one is messing with your house, like kicking in your door, what would you do?” he said.
>
> mhavnes@
>
>
>
bodhijoe
Epinephrine is primarily to help with allergic reactions and for stopping a systemic anaphylactic reaction. Most people do have allergic reactions to bee stings, although they are mostly localized (swelling and itching) and not-at-all life threatening. Benadryl is also useful (although not as potent) and so is cortisol cream (although who caries that around on a hike?). If you are stung by a LOT of bees, you are still at risk of having a systemic reaction to the attack even if you don’t consider yourself allergic to a bee sting — your body may panic and decide that it’s time to overreact.
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, Luke Galyan wrote:
I thought epipens worked only for those with alergic reaction. Does an epipen work for those with no alergies in the event they are stung by a LOT of bees?
bodhijoe wrote:
>On every backpack trip, I bring along an epipen (epinephrine), even though it’s so bulky. Being a bottom-feeder har har! , I “lead” only my father and my wife and I bring it for any of us. (Not sure if I would offer it to a stranger.) It’s quite the rush to deliberately stab yourself in the leg.
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “adkramoo” wrote:
>> All kidding aside, those leading groups with folks that are allergic should take note. What are people bringing to deal with an allergic reaction?
>
>
>> Angry bees attack, state tests to see if they’re ‘killer’ breed
>> By Mark Havnes
>> The Salt Lake Tribune
> Updated: 08/19/2009 06:19:34 PM MDT
>> Beryl » Jim Hunting stood outside his house in Beryl on Wednesday, watching as a state agriculture inspector collected bees from inside the rusty frame of an old Caterpillar tractor.
>> Hunting said he unknowingly disturbed the hive on Monday in the western Iron County community, angering bees that attacked in a swarm.
>> “It wasn’t pleasant,” said Hunting. “I was trying to move some stuff and stirred up a nest I didn’t know was there. They were very aggressive.”
>> Hunting said he turned on a garden hose and doused himself.
>> “I don’t know if that helped or not because I kept getting stung,” he said. He finally was able to get inside his pickup after being stung 25 to 30 times.
>> His mother Yula, who saw the attack from the house, called 911 and an ambulance was sent to the house. Hunting said he was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City for observation and released later that day.
>> The bees swarmed again Wednesday when Sterling Bascom, the inspector with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, collected some of the insects to determine if they are the Africanized “killer” strain of honey bee.
>> Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than their European cousins, were detected in Utah in February 2009.
>> “I’m guessing that they are Africanized bees because of how agitated they are,” said Bascom of the hive in the tractor.
>> Bascom said it is
> Advertisement
> impossible to distinguish the Africanized bee without genetic testing.
>> Dressed in protective gear, and assisted by a local beekeeper, Bascom used a small vacuum cleaner to suck up some of the bees he then put in plastic bags and labeled. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
>> Danielle Downey, a bee specialist with the agriculture department, said Africanized bees were brought to Brazil in 1956 by a researcher. Some escaped and worked their way north. They first appeared in the United States in Texas in 1990 and have been working their way north through Arizona and Nevada since, and were found in Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah early this year. Since then, several colonies have been detected in Iron County, including some in the eaves of a house in Cedar City that were destroyed by an exterminator.
>> Downey said the Africanized bee can live in smaller spaces than the European variety and survives in colder climates by building hives in protected areas such as attics or sheds. The bees can be transported by trucks, where they stow away in pipes and other parts.
>> She said if Africanized bees are found on private property, it is up to the owner to have the bees exterminated.
>> Once a female bee stings a person, she said, its stinger injects venom and breaks off, killing the bee. The stinger also produces an “alarm” pheromone that attracts other bees to whatever has been stung.
>> If attacked, the best thing to do is get to a closed space like a structure or vehicle, Downey said.
>> Sam Taylor, the Beryl beekeeper assisting Bascom, said it is understandable why the bees get so angry when their hives are disturbed.
>> “If some one is messing with your house, like kicking in your door, what would you do?” he said.
>> mhavnes@
>
restrac2000
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, Luke Galyan wrote:
I thought epipens worked only for those with alergic reaction. Does an epipen work for those with no alergies in the event they are stung by a LOT of bees?
bodhijoe wrote: >
I forget the exact physiological response to Epi, but I do know most of us don’t need it. Even for those having a systemic reaction, or history thereof, the primary tool is benadryl. Everyone should have a few tabs of it in their primary first aid kit, at list in a car. The Epipen (epinephrine) primarily serves as a vasoconstrictor that keeps the airway open during anaphylaxis (shock)(something most of us will not experience with most stings). The diphenhydramine in Benadryl is a antihistamine that does most of the work from there. Epi-pens are expensive, a controlled substance, and require careful storage (everything I have learned is they must be replaced on a regular basis and protected from extreme changes in temperature, which is hard in the desert.), factors that keep me from carrying it on all but the biggest of expeditions or when I have a participant who has a known history of systemic allergic reactions.
I live in Cedar City and never heard about the Africanized bees or this particular event. Why is it that I have to read a newspaper out of SLC to learn these things? Same thing happened a year or so ago when they busted a rapist who had attacked multiple woman only a couple hundred yards from my home. Oops, tangental.
Take care out there (and get a WFR if you get the chance). Safer in the canyons and on the river. :^)
Phillip
canyoncrazy
Sorry guys, I’ve trained them well. Bees do turn on their owners though. Todd and I got a sampling of this reconning a canyon here last year. Todd got stung four times I believe and I got stung seventeen times, eight just in my right calf alone, I could barely walk the next day, we were several hours from any help whatsoever.
We happened to walk over a log in the main canyon and out they came, extremely aggressive, all I heard Todd say was “RUN!” I don’t think I’ve ever sprinted on jumbled rocks before that fast. We ran for over a tenth of a mile before they stopped following us. It really did scare the both of us.
Generally from what I understand if you find a nest, they’ll move on in a few days to just over a week. We’ve had them on our property before.
All I can say is be careful, it would really suck if your in a canyon between raps and this happens…your screwed. -Joe D.
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “adkramoo” wrote:
All kidding aside, those leading groups with folks that are allergic should take note. What are people bringing to deal with an allergic reaction?
Angry bees attack, state tests to see if they’re ‘killer’ breed
By Mark Havnes
The Salt Lake Tribune > Updated: 08/19/2009 06:19:34 PM MDT
Beryl » Jim Hunting stood outside his house in Beryl on Wednesday, watching as a state agriculture inspector collected bees from inside the rusty frame of an old Caterpillar tractor.
Hunting said he unknowingly disturbed the hive on Monday in the western Iron County community, angering bees that attacked in a swarm.
“It wasn’t pleasant,” said Hunting. “I was trying to move some stuff and stirred up a nest I didn’t know was there. They were very aggressive.”
Hunting said he turned on a garden hose and doused himself.
“I don’t know if that helped or not because I kept getting stung,” he said. He finally was able to get inside his pickup after being stung 25 to 30 times.
His mother Yula, who saw the attack from the house, called 911 and an ambulance was sent to the house. Hunting said he was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City for observation and released later that day.
The bees swarmed again Wednesday when Sterling Bascom, the inspector with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, collected some of the insects to determine if they are the Africanized “killer” strain of honey bee.
Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than their European cousins, were detected in Utah in February 2009.
“I’m guessing that they are Africanized bees because of how agitated they are,” said Bascom of the hive in the tractor.
Bascom said it is > Advertisement > impossible to distinguish the Africanized bee without genetic testing.
Dressed in protective gear, and assisted by a local beekeeper, Bascom used a small vacuum cleaner to suck up some of the bees he then put in plastic bags and labeled. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Danielle Downey, a bee specialist with the agriculture department, said Africanized bees were brought to Brazil in 1956 by a researcher. Some escaped and worked their way north. They first appeared in the United States in Texas in 1990 and have been working their way north through Arizona and Nevada since, and were found in Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah early this year. Since then, several colonies have been detected in Iron County, including some in the eaves of a house in Cedar City that were destroyed by an exterminator.
Downey said the Africanized bee can live in smaller spaces than the European variety and survives in colder climates by building hives in protected areas such as attics or sheds. The bees can be transported by trucks, where they stow away in pipes and other parts.
She said if Africanized bees are found on private property, it is up to the owner to have the bees exterminated.
Once a female bee stings a person, she said, its stinger injects venom and breaks off, killing the bee. The stinger also produces an “alarm” pheromone that attracts other bees to whatever has been stung.
If attacked, the best thing to do is get to a closed space like a structure or vehicle, Downey said.
Sam Taylor, the Beryl beekeeper assisting Bascom, said it is understandable why the bees get so angry when their hives are disturbed.
“If some one is messing with your house, like kicking in your door, what would you do?” he said.
mhavnes@… >
Luke Galyan
I thought epipens worked only for those with alergic reaction. Does an epipen work for those with no alergies in the event they are stung by a LOT of bees?
bodhijoe joe@citrusmilo.com> wrote:
>On every backpack trip, I bring along an epipen (epinephrine), even though it’s so bulky. Being a bottom-feeder har har! , I “lead” only my father and my wife and I bring it for any of us. (Not sure if I would offer it to a stranger.) It’s quite the rush to deliberately stab yourself in the leg.
>— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “adkramoo” wrote: >
> All kidding aside, those leading groups with folks that are allergic should take note. What are people bringing to deal with an allergic reaction? >
> Angry bees attack, state tests to see if they’re ‘killer’ breed >
> By Mark Havnes >
> The Salt Lake Tribune >> Updated: 08/19/2009 06:19:34 PM MDT >
> Beryl » Jim Hunting stood outside his house in Beryl on Wednesday, watching as a state agriculture inspector collected bees from inside the rusty frame of an old Caterpillar tractor. >
> Hunting said he unknowingly disturbed the hive on Monday in the western Iron County community, angering bees that attacked in a swarm. >
> “It wasn’t pleasant,” said Hunting. “I was trying to move some stuff and stirred up a nest I didn’t know was there. They were very aggressive.” >
> Hunting said he turned on a garden hose and doused himself. >
> “I don’t know if that helped or not because I kept getting stung,” he said. He finally was able to get inside his pickup after being stung 25 to 30 times. >
> His mother Yula, who saw the attack from the house, called 911 and an ambulance was sent to the house. Hunting said he was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City for observation and released later that day. >
> The bees swarmed again Wednesday when Sterling Bascom, the inspector with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, collected some of the insects to determine if they are the Africanized “killer” strain of honey bee. >
> Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than their European cousins, were detected in Utah in February 2009. >
> “I’m guessing that they are Africanized bees because of how agitated they are,” said Bascom of the hive in the tractor. >
> Bascom said it is >> Advertisement >> impossible to distinguish the Africanized bee without genetic testing. >
> Dressed in protective gear, and assisted by a local beekeeper, Bascom used a small vacuum cleaner to suck up some of the bees he then put in plastic bags and labeled. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. >
> Danielle Downey, a bee specialist with the agriculture department, said Africanized bees were brought to Brazil in 1956 by a researcher. Some escaped and worked their way north. They first appeared in the United States in Texas in 1990 and have been working their way north through Arizona and Nevada since, and were found in Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah early this year. Since then, several colonies have been detected in Iron County, including some in the eaves of a house in Cedar City that were destroyed by an exterminator. >
> Downey said the Africanized bee can live in smaller spaces than the European variety and survives in colder climates by building hives in protected areas such as attics or sheds. The bees can be transported by trucks, where they stow away in pipes and other parts. >
> She said if Africanized bees are found on private property, it is up to the owner to have the bees exterminated. >
> Once a female bee stings a person, she said, its stinger injects venom and breaks off, killing the bee. The stinger also produces an “alarm” pheromone that attracts other bees to whatever has been stung. >
> If attacked, the best thing to do is get to a closed space like a structure or vehicle, Downey said. >
> Sam Taylor, the Beryl beekeeper assisting Bascom, said it is understandable why the bees get so angry when their hives are disturbed. >
> “If some one is messing with your house, like kicking in your door, what would you do?” he said. >
> mhavnes@… >
>
bodhijoe
On every backpack trip, I bring along an epipen (epinephrine), even though it’s so bulky. Being a bottom-feeder har har! , I “lead” only my father and my wife and I bring it for any of us. (Not sure if I would offer it to a stranger.) It’s quite the rush to deliberately stab yourself in the leg.
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “adkramoo” wrote:
All kidding aside, those leading groups with folks that are allergic should take note. What are people bringing to deal with an allergic reaction?
Angry bees attack, state tests to see if they’re ‘killer’ breed
By Mark Havnes
The Salt Lake Tribune > Updated: 08/19/2009 06:19:34 PM MDT
Beryl » Jim Hunting stood outside his house in Beryl on Wednesday, watching as a state agriculture inspector collected bees from inside the rusty frame of an old Caterpillar tractor.
Hunting said he unknowingly disturbed the hive on Monday in the western Iron County community, angering bees that attacked in a swarm.
“It wasn’t pleasant,” said Hunting. “I was trying to move some stuff and stirred up a nest I didn’t know was there. They were very aggressive.”
Hunting said he turned on a garden hose and doused himself.
“I don’t know if that helped or not because I kept getting stung,” he said. He finally was able to get inside his pickup after being stung 25 to 30 times.
His mother Yula, who saw the attack from the house, called 911 and an ambulance was sent to the house. Hunting said he was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City for observation and released later that day.
The bees swarmed again Wednesday when Sterling Bascom, the inspector with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, collected some of the insects to determine if they are the Africanized “killer” strain of honey bee.
Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than their European cousins, were detected in Utah in February 2009.
“I’m guessing that they are Africanized bees because of how agitated they are,” said Bascom of the hive in the tractor.
Bascom said it is > Advertisement > impossible to distinguish the Africanized bee without genetic testing.
Dressed in protective gear, and assisted by a local beekeeper, Bascom used a small vacuum cleaner to suck up some of the bees he then put in plastic bags and labeled. The samples will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Danielle Downey, a bee specialist with the agriculture department, said Africanized bees were brought to Brazil in 1956 by a researcher. Some escaped and worked their way north. They first appeared in the United States in Texas in 1990 and have been working their way north through Arizona and Nevada since, and were found in Washington and Kane counties in southern Utah early this year. Since then, several colonies have been detected in Iron County, including some in the eaves of a house in Cedar City that were destroyed by an exterminator.
Downey said the Africanized bee can live in smaller spaces than the European variety and survives in colder climates by building hives in protected areas such as attics or sheds. The bees can be transported by trucks, where they stow away in pipes and other parts.
She said if Africanized bees are found on private property, it is up to the owner to have the bees exterminated.
Once a female bee stings a person, she said, its stinger injects venom and breaks off, killing the bee. The stinger also produces an “alarm” pheromone that attracts other bees to whatever has been stung.
If attacked, the best thing to do is get to a closed space like a structure or vehicle, Downey said.
Sam Taylor, the Beryl beekeeper assisting Bascom, said it is understandable why the bees get so angry when their hives are disturbed.
“If some one is messing with your house, like kicking in your door, what would you do?” he said.
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