Saturday, May 28, 2011
Killer bees return to Encinitas
Like the swallows returning to Capistrano and the flies returning to Del Mar, the killer bees have returned to Encinitas.
Yesterday I drove through a swarm of them, then came home to find another bunch contemplating building a nest in the compost bin.
Last year the killer bees arrived in late April and early May. Then in June they killed poor Marco Lazaro.
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Smear some honey on Jerome Stocks!
ReplyDeleteMost bees are not killers and there have been many swarms. Swarming bees are especially docile. The bees that killed Marco thought they were under attack when his tractor bumped the abandoned car the had made their colony in (according to reports). The old rule, "Leave them alone and they will go home" applies. Get near their hive and it's different.
ReplyDeleteI thought most bees now were killer bees because the Africanized ("killer") bees are breeding with domestic bees.
ReplyDeleteIs that not correct?
The idea of "Killer Bees" is a little Hitchcockian. Bees haven't changed much, despite the Africanization of Italian and other bees, which makes them more aggressive. Bees in groups (swarms, at the hive) should be dealt with very carefully and protected. If they feel threatened and the guards excrete the "under attack" pheromone, things could get ugly. Here's a good article on how bees became Africanized and what it means:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee
You're not accusing me of being sensationalist, are you?
ReplyDeleteOh no.
ReplyDeleteDo Africanized bees sport afroes?
ReplyDeleteThem bees be talking jive.
ReplyDelete