Bee Plus
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Karen Brady
The Express-Star
Africanized honeybees are taking Grady County and surrounding areas by swarm.
At least five large swarms of the bees were reported in Chickasha, Cement, Carnegie and Ninnekah last
week, including one that landed on a chain link fence post between Chickasha Lumber and O’Reilly’s on
Fourth St.
“It was unreal,” said Penny Wilson, merchandise specialist at O’Reilly’s. “It caught my eye and just drew
me to it.”
Wilson, who, at first mistook the moving clump of bees for a plastic bag caught on the fence, described the
cluster of bees as “massive.”
E. J. Music, a yard hand at Chickasha Lumber, was out in the lumberyard when the bees came buzzing in.
“I was shelving lumber when I heard buzzing; I thought it was horseflies,” he said. “I looked up and they
were swarming all around me. They flew to the corner of the yard and swarmed over the corner post. It was
solid with bees.”
Music said the swarm measured about two-and-a-half feet by one-and-a-half feet. Witnesses estimated
the number of bees in the seething mass to be between 1,000 and 2,000.
“They were the strangest looking bees I’ve ever seen,” said Music. “They just clumped up; they weren’t
aggressive, and didn’t try to sting or attack.”
Gonzalez Pest Control was called to dispose of the swarm. Owner Dene Gonzalez said a spray of soap
and water was used to knock the bees down, and then a powdered insect killer was applied. Although
many bees flew away, hundreds litter the ground below the fence post.
“All the bees in Oklahoma are considered Africanized,” said Gonzalez. “They are bigger, they produce more
honey, and they’re out of control.”
Gonzalez said in 2005, his company only handled two or three swarms, but in 2006, that number grew to
about 15 cases. He said with as many calls as he has gotten so far this year, it could be a big season.
Africanized honeybees tend to swarm more often than their more docile European cousins, and they are
more likely to migrate. They do not like being disrupted by beekeepers, and will often leave a hive and
relocate. In addition, they aggressively guard a larger area around their hives than other bees.
While Africanized bees and European bees have the same venom, the Africanized bees are far more likely
to sting in large numbers. In fact, the number of deaths from bees in general is greater than any other
subspecies. Even so, only 14 deaths from Africanized bees have been reported over several years.
Because a severe allergic reaction can result from any bee sting, it is not easy to establish whether more
people have died as a result of Africanized bees.
To avoid being stung if you come upon a swarm, walk away and stay away from it. If you are caught in a
swarm, cover your head with a jacket or shirt and run away in a straight line, and take shelter in a house or
car.
“They’ll chase you up to half a mile, and don’t jump in the water,” said Gonzalez. “They’ll drown you. They
will hover over the water and when you come up, they’ll go for your eyes, nose mouth and ears.”
Gonzalez also said Africanized bees are irritated by noise and vibrations near their hives, which are often
underground, and will attack even if the hive is not disturbed. Grady County Emergency Management
Director Dale Thompson said Africanized honeybees have been in the area for the past two to three years.
He suggests contacting the OSU extension office to make sure a swarm is Africanized before disposing of
them.
The Africanized honeybees in America are descendants of 26 bees from Tanzania that were unintentionally
let loose in Brazil in 1957.
Biologist Warwick E. Kerr interbred European bees and African bees in an attempt to produce a
subspecies of bees that would be more productive in tropical conditions.
The Express-Star
Africanized honeybees are taking Grady County and surrounding areas by swarm.
At least five large swarms of the bees were reported in Chickasha, Cement, Carnegie and Ninnekah last
week, including one that landed on a chain link fence post between Chickasha Lumber and O’Reilly’s on
Fourth St.
“It was unreal,” said Penny Wilson, merchandise specialist at O’Reilly’s. “It caught my eye and just drew
me to it.”
Wilson, who, at first mistook the moving clump of bees for a plastic bag caught on the fence, described the
cluster of bees as “massive.”
E. J. Music, a yard hand at Chickasha Lumber, was out in the lumberyard when the bees came buzzing in.
“I was shelving lumber when I heard buzzing; I thought it was horseflies,” he said. “I looked up and they
were swarming all around me. They flew to the corner of the yard and swarmed over the corner post. It was
solid with bees.”
Music said the swarm measured about two-and-a-half feet by one-and-a-half feet. Witnesses estimated
the number of bees in the seething mass to be between 1,000 and 2,000.
“They were the strangest looking bees I’ve ever seen,” said Music. “They just clumped up; they weren’t
aggressive, and didn’t try to sting or attack.”
Gonzalez Pest Control was called to dispose of the swarm. Owner Dene Gonzalez said a spray of soap
and water was used to knock the bees down, and then a powdered insect killer was applied. Although
many bees flew away, hundreds litter the ground below the fence post.
“All the bees in Oklahoma are considered Africanized,” said Gonzalez. “They are bigger, they produce more
honey, and they’re out of control.”
Gonzalez said in 2005, his company only handled two or three swarms, but in 2006, that number grew to
about 15 cases. He said with as many calls as he has gotten so far this year, it could be a big season.
Africanized honeybees tend to swarm more often than their more docile European cousins, and they are
more likely to migrate. They do not like being disrupted by beekeepers, and will often leave a hive and
relocate. In addition, they aggressively guard a larger area around their hives than other bees.
While Africanized bees and European bees have the same venom, the Africanized bees are far more likely
to sting in large numbers. In fact, the number of deaths from bees in general is greater than any other
subspecies. Even so, only 14 deaths from Africanized bees have been reported over several years.
Because a severe allergic reaction can result from any bee sting, it is not easy to establish whether more
people have died as a result of Africanized bees.
To avoid being stung if you come upon a swarm, walk away and stay away from it. If you are caught in a
swarm, cover your head with a jacket or shirt and run away in a straight line, and take shelter in a house or
car.
“They’ll chase you up to half a mile, and don’t jump in the water,” said Gonzalez. “They’ll drown you. They
will hover over the water and when you come up, they’ll go for your eyes, nose mouth and ears.”
Gonzalez also said Africanized bees are irritated by noise and vibrations near their hives, which are often
underground, and will attack even if the hive is not disturbed. Grady County Emergency Management
Director Dale Thompson said Africanized honeybees have been in the area for the past two to three years.
He suggests contacting the OSU extension office to make sure a swarm is Africanized before disposing of
them.
The Africanized honeybees in America are descendants of 26 bees from Tanzania that were unintentionally
let loose in Brazil in 1957.
Biologist Warwick E. Kerr interbred European bees and African bees in an attempt to produce a
subspecies of bees that would be more productive in tropical conditions.