The Africanized honeybee is anything but sweet. Extremely dangerous and wild they were labeled the ‘Killer Bee’ after a magazine reported several deaths from the stings of the Africanized bee. It is a cousin of the domesticated run-of-the-mill honeybee which has inhabited the United States for years now. The killer bee is aggressive and can be easily angered by both humans and animals.
Escaping the Killer Bee
Follow the steps below if caught by a swarm of killer bees:
- If the killer bees are flying around or stinging you, do not freeze or strike blows. Instead run for safety cover.
- Try getting indoors as quickly as possible.
- In case you do not find shelter, run between high weeds and bushes to get cover from them.
- If at all a killer bee stings you, it will leave its stinger on you which you will have to remove.
- Gently remove the stinger from your skin with your nails but from the side.
- Do not pull or pinch the stinger which will increase the venom flow from the stinger into your body.
- Remove stinger quickly because allowing it stay on can cause venom to enter your body for up to ten whole minutes.
- Never jump into a water body because the killer bee waits for you to surface.
Bee stings from the killer bee are deathly and are caused only because the victim is not able to escape in time. Animal losses have also occurred due to the same reason that they had been tied when attacked by bees and hence could not take cover.