Features

Tip of the week: Bee Attacks Facts

James and Morris Carey
Friday February 15, 2002

We’re outdoors a lot — in the yard, on picnics, hiking and camping. Those are places where it’s easy to accidentally disturb a beehive. Such an accident can be serious, especially when bees attack in numbers. You can spot, avoid and survive killer bees the same way you do less-violent common honeybees. At home, fill open cracks with steel wool or caulk, and cover larger holes with window screen. Outdoors, expect to find them in places such as holes in trees or in wood piles or rock piles. Also, under picnics tables, in drain pipes, sheds and in water meters. Watch for bee activity and listen for the buzzing that tells a hive is near. Watch children and keep pets on a leash. If you are attacked, don’t flail or run. Hide in a dense bush instead.