Growing public safety problem expected to spread northward

LAS VEGAS - Africanized honey bees are a growing public safety threat in Southern Nevada and the problem will spread northward, Gov. Kenny Guinn was told Thursday.

State agriculture officials told the governor the problem had increased tenfold in the past year in Southern Nevada and killer bees had spread to Nye County's Amargosa Valley, 80 miles northwest of here.

Guinn called for a coordinated effort between various agencies to deal with the problem.

"If they're growing tenfold, we don't have much time," the governor said by teleconference from Carson City. He seconded suggestions that a task force be established.

The meeting of city, county and state officials in Las Vegas, was set up to address growing concerns over the spread of the Africanized bees, commmonly known as killer bees, in the Las Vegas Valley since they migrated here two years ago.

A 77-year-old Las Vegas woman was critically injured when she was stung more than 500 times by a swarm of killer bees in March.

Previously, a dog was killed by a swarm of bees and a girl was attacked when she tried to rescue the animal. A 79-year-old Las Vegas man also was attacked.

Both state Agriculture Director Paul Iverson and state Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, have said it is only a matter of time until the bees kill someone in Nevada.

Africanized bees can be more deadly because of their aggressive behavior, attacking targets in swarms. The bees have killed approximately 1,000 people as they migrated northward from Brazil, beginning in 1957.

The first swarm was reported in the United States in Hidalgo, Texas on Oct. 15, 1990. The bees appeared in Arizona, New Mexico and California in 1994 and were first spotted in Las Vegas in August 1998.

Iverson said his office gets 50 calls a day reporting swarms of Africanized bees at locations from the downtown Fremont Street Experience to hotels, homes, airports and airplanes.

Southern Nevada pest exterminators have been deluged with calls, he said.

"We're in the eye of the storm."

Iverson said there was no way to get rid of the bees, and the best hope was to manage their growth and coexist with them.

John O'Brien, chief apiarist for the state Agriculture Department, said traps designed to track and slow the spread of the bees have had little effect.

"They're like little speedbumps," O'Brien said.

Traps have been set in Clark, Nye, Lincoln, Esmeralda and Mineral counties to track the bees' migration northward in Nevada.

Guinn said the state would assist city and county agencies, but suggested much of the effort should be carried out at the local level. The state provided $10,000 in emergency funding, but half of that already has been used and it's unlikely more would be available until the Legislature meets next year.

State Sen. Ray Rawson said some additional funding might be available from the state, adding "This is an emergency."

Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said 911 operators are fielding a growing number of calls from residents who encounter swarms of bees. If callers are not under attack, they are referred elsewhere.

Coffin said the public should be encouraged to use 911 when encountering the bees. But Las Vegas City Manager Virginia Valentine said the 911 system already was overwhelmed and another system should be devised for handling bee calls.

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