Honeybees: Here's what to know about their behavior

Honeybees: Here's what to know about their behavior — and how to avoid their sting

In 2005, Africanized honeybees (AHB) were discovered in 13 Florida counties in central and south Florida. By 2006, they had moved into three more counties, and in 2007, they were found in another eight counties, one of which was Brevard County.

Continue reading to learn about AHB to protect yourself, your family, and your pets. The following includes information I was taught, but recently, I have discovered that some of it needs to be modified.

Last summer, while working in the backyard, I noticed a lot of insects flying around my potting table. I went inside to get my insect net and returned to identify them. As I got closer, I heard buzzing and saw the swarm of bees on the container that supported my bag of potting mix. I had been taught that because swarming bees don’t have any young or honeycomb, they won’t get defensive. So, I used the hose to spray them with water to get them to move on. As I stood there watching them, a bee came over and stung me on my arm, so at that point, I decided to get out of there!

A swarm of bees will typically move within a few hours or days. If the swarm is still in your yard after a week, contact a professional to remove the bees.

After getting stung, I went to see if my neighbor, Hal, was at home because he is a member of the Brevard Backyard Beekeepers. When I told him about the swarm I had just discovered, he said that when a swarm arrives, scout bees are sent out to find a good location for the new hive. They will typically move on within a few days, once they find a new home, so all I needed to do was stay clear of the swarm until they moved on.

A couple of months ago, a resident called because he had suffered 18 stings while working in his yard, and he said that they came out of the ground. I asked if they looked like honeybees and he said that they did. I told him that they were exhibiting Africanized honeybee behavior and that he would need to check out the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website to find someone to come remove the bees!

Just recently, there was a story on TV about a Brevard man (who was allergic to bees) doing tree work in Citrus County. He was 30 feet up in a tree when a swarm of bees attacked him. He was stung more than 100 times and fell to the ground. Amazingly, he suffered no broken bones or other injuries from the fall and received help for the stings at a local hospital. Those bees also exhibited Africanized honeybee behavior.

Here's what to know about honeybees

Here are some important facts about Africanized honeybees (AHB) and European honeybees (EHB) to be aware of.

* AHB are the same species as the EHB.

* AHB and EHB can only sting once.

* It’s impossible to tell the difference between AHB and EHB just by looking at them.

* AHB build their nests in more places than EHB, such as meter and irrigation boxes in the ground, abandoned tires, on the side of a house, up in a tree, underneath a palm frond, etc.

* AHB can produce dangerously high numbers of bees rapidly and can remain agitated for up to 24 hours.

* AHB, when disturbed, will fly 10 times farther (up to 300 yards) than EHB.

* AHB, once agitated, will continue to attack anything moving (i.e., humans, dogs, horses, etc.)

* Loud equipment like lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed eaters, and tractors can disturb an AHB colony, even if the equipment is 30 feet away!

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