STORM2K

Africanized bees 'killed our dog'

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8

PLANO, Texas -- Angry European honey bees make a terrifying noise. A professional beekeeper just removed the swarm from a Richardson tree into a box. And these bees are considered non-aggressive.

Ted Morrow believes Africanized bees, known for their unrelenting aggressiveness killed his dog Max. Morrow tied up the 3-year-old Bearded Collie in his back yard.

Ten minutes later, when Morrow checked on Max, he saw a horrific site. “There were just hundreds of bees on him," said Morrow, who then called his wife for help. At that point, the bees started stinging him.

"They're bees with an attitude, that's for sure, because they won't quit," said Morrow.

Judi McGinnis ran inside to put on a coat to protect her arms. She then lifted Max and brought him to the patio to hose him off, but the relentless bees followed.

"So we took him in the house and the bees started coming out of his hair and his ears - he even had them in his mouth and up in his gums," said McGinnis.

Morrow took the badly stung dog to the vet where he died six hours later. The attack left the couple convinced the bees that attacked are Africanized or killer bees.

"A lot of the factors are there, but the only way we can prove conclusively that these are the hybrid bees is through DNA testing,” said Jim Dunlap of the PISD outdoor learning center.

Dunlap says Africanized bees often attack after hearing high pitched sound, like a dog barking and usually build their hives closer to the ground than European bees. But Dunlap says European bees may also attack, if they feel threatened.

If the DNA tests prove they were killer bees, it would be Collin County's first verified case.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/w ... a09e9.html

What a horrific way to die? The pain must have been tremendous. Those bee stings ...that poor dog

-justin-

Hrm... Since I live in South Africa, I wonder what bees the bees we get are ?! :S Cause, noone here really says anything about Africanized bees... Wonder which bees ours are :o

Some idiot-a so called scientist, brought in a bunch of bees from Tropical Africa to crossbreed with the Brazilian bees to improve honey production despite the African bees very nasty temperment. What he got was not what he was looking for and before he could destroy the bees some colonies escaped and have been moving north ever since. As they have moved into the US, they have been supplanting the European bees and are acquiring the latters tolerance of cold. Thus they should continue to move north in the US. They are mean viscious SOBs and we've had PEOPLE along with dogs and livestock killed in bee attacks in AZ. I once encountered a swarm while driving-it was a warm day so the windows were rolled down and I got stung 7 times and the dog a couple of times before I could stop and open the doors to let the few bees that got in out so I'm not very happy with their presence.

Steve

I hear they are very aggressive.

If you swat at one of the guard bees, the entire hive will come out in attack mode in seconds. Your only recourse is to run as fast and far away as you can and hope that they break off the attack. If you go into a vehicle, they will attack it. The only solution if a hive is found close to homes is to destroy it because otherwise there is always extreme danger.

Steve

I thought I read somewhere that they've been breeding with regular honeybees and are beginning to "mellow" a bit.

Very little bit as we haven't seen much mellowing in their character here in AZ.

Steve

They've made their way in the White Mountains this past spring.....we had a call at the PD for an attack on a young child 5 weeks ago, WE called the fire dept, they came in, sprayed foam on the suspected hive and stopped the attack shortly there after, mean little boogers that's fer sure!