Killer bees: What to do if you encounter them?
Controlling a bee infestation begins with accurate identification. Why? This is so because different types of bees are a health risk, while others can cause damage to your home and furniture. So it becomes important for pest control professionals to know what they are dealing with before they can take any action.
Florida has roughly 315 species of native bees. So let us learn some more about these Florida bees.
Different types of bees and wasps
Bumble bees, with their black and yellow markings, have an overall fuzzy appearance. They usually build their nests in the ground or a dense grass clump. Do bumble bees sting? Yes, but only if they perceive a threat to their nest.
Carpenter bees look like bumble bees, but their abdomen is mostly bare and shiny. They bore into wood for rearing their young.
Honeybees are orangish brown or black in color. They are social insects and live in hives, with mature colonies of 20,000 to 80,000 individuals.
Yellowjackets are yellow and black color in color and live in nests constructed of paper carton. These wasps do not sting unless their nests are threatened.
Baldfaced hornets are largely black with a mostly white face. Their nests can be quite large, growing to 14 inches in diameter and 24 inches in length.
Killer bees look a lot like honeybees. They are golden yellow, with darker bands of brown. Also, know as Africanized bees, their venom is no more dangerous than regular honeybees. They tend to attack in greater numbers, dramatically increasing the odds of having an allergic reaction.
So what should you do if you are attacked by killer bees?
Run: Run away from the swarm as fast as you can. Don’t stand in one place and try to swat them. The longer you stay in one place, the more bees will arrive, ready to sting you.
Cover up: Nearly all those who suffer serious sting injuries by killer bees have maximum stings on head and face. So, use a jacket or something to cover your head and protect your face and run. If you do not have anything, use your hands to cover your face.
Get indoors: If you are near a building or a car, get inside as quickly as possible. Keep the door and windows closed. Turn off the lights once you’re inside.
Keep running: If there is no shelter available keep running. Killer bees are known to chase victims as far as a quarter of a mile. You will be able to lose them if you run far enough.
Don’t jump into the water. Killer bees can and will wait for you to come up for air and will sting you as soon as you do.
Different Types of Bees Treatment
Killer bee stings can cause pain, itching, swelling, and skin infection. They can also cause and allergic reaction, symptoms of which include breathing difficulty, heart irregularity, seizures, shock and death.
* If you get stung by a swarm of killer bees use a blunt object to scrape any stingers out of your skin. This will lessen the amount of venom from entering your body.
Wash the area with soap and water.
* Ice-packs, pain medications and anti-itch medications help in relieving the symptoms.
* More serious victims are often hospitalized. Victims who suffer allergic reaction require intravenous fluids, oxygen, cortisone, epinephrine and medications to open the breathing passage.
Because these bees are so aggressive and their nests are so enormous, you should not approach a killer bee hive or try to remove it yourself. Call Organic Pest Control Miami-Dade right away. Their experts provide eco-friendly, safe and effective bee removal services.