What causes more deaths every year than spiders, snakes, sharks, alligators, bears, wolves, and cougars combined? It’s bee, wasp, and hornet stings. An average of 58 U.S. citizens die every year because of stings from bees and their cousins. And there’s one particular kind of bee that’s especially dangerous; the aptly named killer bee. What are Killer Bees? Read on to find out more about this potentially deadly pest:
Where do Killer Bees Come From?
The killer bee is more exactly known as the Africanized bee. It’s an odd name, but the killer bee has it for a reason: it’s not a naturally occurring species. Instead, the killer bee was developed as a genetic experiment. No, not the kind that happens in science-fiction movies in test tubes.
What happened is that scientists and farmers in Brazil wanted a bee that would produce more honey. They bred Western, African, and European honey bees together, resulting in the Africanized bee. In the 1950s, 26 swarms escaped their enclosures. Because they were so aggressive and bred so quickly, they’ve spread ever northward, and 26 swarms has become countless thousands.
Why Are Killer Bees Dangerous
A killer bee’s sting is no more venomous than that of a honey bee. What’s different about the killer bee is its aggression.
When a honey bees’ hive is bothered, about 10-percent of the total number of bees will respond. They will swarm you until you are far enough away from their nest, at which point they will return home and leave you alone.
When a killer bee’s hive is bothered, the entire hive responds. Furthermore, they’ll pursue you as long as they can. They’ve even been known to wait above water if they’re pursuing a person or animal that dives in. Killer bee responses can number in the tens of thousands of bees.
A bee sting can be dangerous to those who are allergic, but thousands upon thousands of bee stings are deadly to anyone, allergic or not. In March 2013, two Tampa, Florida park employees disturbed a killer bee hives. They were swarmed by an estimated 100,000 bees at once.
Get Rid of Killer Bees in Melbourne
We cannot stress this enough: do not disturb a hive of killer bees. Do not do it on a dare. Do not think you can handle it yourself, even if you’ve handled other kinds of beehives before. Whether you have help or not doesn’t matter if that help is not professional in nature. Killer bees have earned their name, and require expert attention.
To get rid of killer bees in Melbourne, Florida, expertise is needed. Let us mantle the risk of Melbourne bee control so you don’t have to. Killer bees are dangerous and deadly, not just to children and pets, but to full grown adults as well.