Killer bees discovered near Laughlin

Africanized honey bees -- the so-called killer bees whose arrival in Southern Nevada has been anticipated for years -- are here.

Two swarms of the aggressive bee were discovered in the Laughlin area recently but none have been seen in Las Vegas Valley, officials say. A trap south of Big Bend and another behind shrubbery at the Ramada Express hotel-casino yielded individual bees identified as the Africanized variety.

"They (the two individual bees trapped) have been eradicated," Amanda Getzoff, spokeswoman for the Nevada Division of Agriculture, said today. "But if there are two, there are probably more."

She said it's only a matter of time before they arrive in the Las Vegas Valley.

"Once here, they could become established," said Getzoff. "We've been working with the federal government and have been on the lookout for the bees in the Laughlin area. We have a couple of scientists monitoring the movement."

Getzoff and other officials said today the most important advice they have for the public can be summed up in two words: Don't panic. They say that despite the bees' reputation, they are really no more dangerous than any swarm of bees. Indeed, the officials said, the bees are more protective and more aggressive, but incidences of attacks are no more numerous than incidences involving other types of stinging insects.

"When climatic conditions allow, Africanized honey bees are able to migrate northward," said Paul Iverson, administrator of the Nevada Division of Agriculture, an agency of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry. "The heavy rains and cooler weather brought by El Nino have increased the nectar- and pollen-producing plants, which may have allowed these bees to survive on their move north."

The bees, native to Africa, were brought to Brazil by scientists for experimentation and in 1957 some escaped and began slowly working their way north.

Their first sighting in the United States was in Texas in 1990.

A migrating swarm was detected in October 1994 in a pipe at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in California's Riverside County and near the Colorado River outside Yuma, Ariz.

The killer bee is very defensive when humans or animals approach its hives and will attack with little provocation.

While its sting is no more venomous than that of a European honey bee, it attacks in greater numbers and will follow its target for longer distances, resulting in a larger number of stings that can be fatal.

Getzoff said "killer" bee is a misnomer. They are no more likely to swarm and cause injury than hornets, fire ants or other aggressive insects who are threatened and there no more deaths attributed to the bees than other stinging insects, Getzoff said.

"Actually, any kind of aggressive form of swarming, stinging insect has a gang mentality," she said.

Fortunately, experts say, the killer bee can be thwarted with a simple home solution.

Control of honey bee swarms can be achieved easily by using a spray of soap and water, said one authority. The suggested ratio is one cup of dish-washing detergent in a gallon of water.

The Africanized honey bee is almost identical to the European. For identification purposes, the Division of Agriculture staff must use a special 23-step computer program.

The hardy insect has the ability to survive in many different climates. Researchers are unsure how far north the bee will survive.

According to Iverson, the state has a plan to manage the Africanized bees in Nevada.

"We will move our traps further up the river basin and into the deserts surrounding Las Vegas," he said. "We're eventually going to find them, if they arrive."

archive