Last week in McAllen, Texas, two pets were killed as the result of an Africanized bee attack.
The Africanized bee, also known as the killer bee, is an aggressive hybrid of the European and African honey bees. They were introduced to the Americas when colonies were imported into Brazil in 1956, according to the Smithsonian Institute. Since then, the bees have killed approximately 1,000 people.
The two dogs are believed to have died while outside on the fenced-in patio at a McAllen duplex home.
“The [dogs’ owner] took me into the residence where the dogs were and there were hundreds of dead bees in the patio,” Devon Johnston from R9 Hive & Honey told NBC KVEO. “He had sliding glass doors and there were muddy paw prints and even a little bit of blood from where the dogs were desperately trying to get into the house.”
As a bee expert, Johnston had been called to help city authorities remove the bees after receiving reports of the attack on the morning of March 16.
The authorities reported to the 3800 block of N. 7th Ct., where they discovered that the dogs and several people in the neighborhood had been attacked by the bees the previous day.
After police zeroed in on a vacated home in which the hive was believed to be located, the owner refused to cooperate and a warrant had to be obtained by code enforcement.
Johnston told NBC KVEO that, upon entering the house, she found an active hive that someone had apparently tried to spray with foam.
This attempt at getting rid of the hive is believed to have provoked the bees, which Johnston said have a memory span of three days. After being triggered, it appears they unleashed their aggression on the dogs.
These Africanized bees are capable of delivering 10 times as many stings as their European counterparts and have a much faster reaction time. They are fierce defenders of their hives and have been known to chase people for up to a quarter of a mile.
Killer bees were first reported in Texas in 1990. Since then, they have become a common sight.
A normal bee season in Texas runs from mid-March through October, and the weather can affect the bees’ behavior.
If you are ever caught in a bee attack, experts urge you to avoid swatting at the swarm, according to Texas A&M AgriLife. Run and get to the shelter as quickly as possible. Diving into the water won’t work. Pull out the stingers quickly and get medical attention, especially if you start to show signs of an allergic reaction to the bee venom.
To avoid causing incidents like the two dogs killed in McAllen, Johnston encourages anyone that finds a hive on their property to call an expert to come and dispose of it.
“Don’t try to fix it yourself,” she told NBC KVEO. “The Africanized bees down here they’re not necessarily bad bees but they do take experience to handle and if you don’t have the experience or knowledge they can be dangerous and unfortunately fatal.”
Manmade hybrid killers. This is what science is doing for us now. Or should I say “to us” .