Africanized Honey Bees Kill Dogs

'Killer bees' attack dogs

Three mastiffs in Hesperia die from Africanized bee stings

HILLARY BORRUD Staff Writer
May 15, 2007 - HESPERIA - Africanized honey bees killed three mastiffs by stinging them repeatedly. The dogs' owner was also stung while attempting to save the dogs. The Africanized bees, also known as "killer bees," are similar to the European honey bee in that they will not sting unless they are provoked, according to a press release from Hesperia. In this case, a falling tree branch disturbed the bee hive last Monday, said Tony Genovesi, Animal Control supervisor.

The owner of the mastiffs, which included a female, a male and a puppy, called Hesperia Animal Control but by the time an officer arrived, the owner had already gone outside and been stung as well. The dogs were large - the female was about 100 pounds, the male 90 pounds and the puppy weighed about 20 pounds, Genovesi said.

Bee stings have a similar affect on dogs and humans, Genovesi said, but unlike humans, dogs are often unable to run away because they are confined by fences or chains. In this case, the dogs were in a fenced backyard.

Bee samples sent to San Bernardino County Vector Control revealed that the bees were Africanized, according to the press release. Hesperia Animal Control has given the dogs' owner notice to remove the bee hive.

Hillary Borrud may be reached at 951-6234 or hborrud@vvdailypress.com.

---

While bees buzz here, elsewhere hives die
By: RICHARD ROTH

05/15/2007 - LIVINGSTON-It's been a great year for apple blossoms, according to Russell Bartolotta of Klein's Kill Fruit Farms.  "It's probably the best bloom period I've seen since I've been on the farm," said Mr. Bartolotta, who has worked at the family orchard for 27 years. "It was a week later than last year, but there was nothing but constant sun." Mr. Bartolotta has had no problems with pollination. "Our bee man happened to be lucky," he said. "Wherever he has his bees over-winter, apparently the mites didn't attack." But as The Independent reported April 20, other New York growers may have been less fortunate because bee colonies have disappeared.

"As we enter a new growing season, there is anxiety that there will not be enough bees to pollinate the crop," New York Apple Association president Jim Allen says in a press release dated May 7. There are more than 7.4 million apple trees in the state, according to the Apple Association, and a mysterious disease known as colony collapse disorder (CCD) is believed to be responsible for killing off bee hives across the state this past winter. Senator Hillary Clinton has called on relevant committees in the U.S. Senate to address CCD and the honeybee decline in the upcoming Farm Bill and Agricultural Appropriations Bill.
"If these alarming trends are allowed to continue, they will place at risk in excess of $14 billion in annual United States farm output that depends on bee pollination," Senator Clinton wrote in a May 11, 2007 letter to the chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. "Ultimately, the shortage of pollination services would impact the supply of healthful and affordable food for U.S. consumers."

Ms. Clinton's letter goes on to say that "some estimates have shown that nearly all the major beekeepers in the State of New York have lost more than 30% of their colonies to CCD," and that more than 90 different food, seed and fiber crops rely on bee pollination. Among those crops are alfalfa, apples, blueberries, cherries, plums, pumpkins, and squash. Some local growers import bees from out of state during the pollination season. Mr. Bartolotta said a beekeeper from Louisiana was on hand for the 24-hour window of opportunity here, when blossoms were viable at Klein's Kill. "He goes from almonds in California to blueberries down south, and then he follows the season up the eastern coastline until he gets to Maine," said Mr. Bartolotta.

Some Columbia County beekeepers have lost bee colonies, and others have not been affected. While researchers are investigating possible causes ranging from parasitic mites to microwave signals to genetic engineering, Victor Borghi of Miss Bee Haven Apiaries in East Chatham suspects inappropriate pesticide use. "It depends on the pesticide and who's using it," said Mr. Borghi. "Those people I've pollinated for who have a license to use pesticides, like apple orchards, have never had any problem. If people are using it randomly to spray on flowers, we get a kill."

Even if the crop is pollinated, growers face another problem, according to the Apple Association: labor shortages due to a lack of immigration policy in Washington. "We will wait and see what happens with the bees," association President Jim Allen says in the May 7 release. "In the meantime, we will be making a huge lobbying push this month in Washington, urging Congress to pass the AgJOBS bill, which will provide our farms with a reliable workforce." But local growers say they rely on the same workers year after year, some returning to the area from Mexico and others from Jamaica. "Most of the guys have been here 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 years," said Jake Samascott of Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook. "And most of the new guys are family members."
To contact reporter Richard Roth, e-mail rroth@IndeNews.com.

---

Bee Swarm Terrorizes Central Texas Neighborhood

(May 23, 2007)-A swarm of aggressive bees terrorized residents of the 2200 block of Morrow Avenue Wednesday afternoon in Waco. Some of those unlucky enough to be outdoors when the swarm attacked were stung, but there was no immediate information about whether any was seriously injured. About ten people were stung including two or three firefighters, said Jimmy Mauppin of the Waco Fire Department.

The bees swarmed as a beekeeper attempted to remove a hive. The beekeeper got about half of the bees, Mauppin said, and the rest formed an angry swarm. Firefighters were originally dispatched to the area in response to a report of an allergic reaction to a sting.

They requested assistance from Waco police, who were helping divert traffic away from the area Wednesday evening. The beekeeper, Mauppin said, told firefighters that the bees would settle down as night fell and temperatures cooled. He plans to return to the neighborhood Thursday morning to try to remove the rest of the bees. Officials are advising neighborhood residents to stay indoors, the curious to stay away, and motorists to keep their windows rolled up when driving through the area.