Fire Department Is On Alert For Swarms of African Bees

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After the tragic events that occurred Wednesday afternoon April 9th in the Piedras Negras, Mexico area, where a man aged 41 died after being attacked by African bees, the Fire Department in Eagle Pass, Texas remains alert to the possibility of more swarms.

The fire chief, Jesus Rodriguez of Eagle Pass, said the swarm that killed the man and caused panic across the northern part of the city was wiped out, but does not rule out that there are other nests. He said that they have detected increased of bee activity mainly in the spring.  Africanized bees are very aggressive.

He mentioned that in case of a danger from a bee community, people can immediately call the emergency telephone, and if the authorities find a hive on your property the first recommendation is that the owner hire a pest control company to eliminate insects.

He said if the bee hive is under public ownership, the responsibility lies to the city and they will be notified.  Africanized bees are the most dangerous bees on the planet.

In Vallarta, the most recent report was in Bucerias in August, but we are in the Spring/Summer season and time to be vigilant!

Identifying Africanized Bees
Unfortunately, unless you're a trained bee expert, you won't be able to tell killer bees apart from "normal" bees. Killer bees, which are more properly called African honey bees, are just a subspecies of the European honey bees kept by beekeepers. The physical differences between the African honey bees and European honey bees are almost imperceptible to the non-expert.

Protecting Local Bee Species
Remember that our local varieties of bees are essential to our local flora.  We also have the similar honey bee in the area with the mild sting we all know as well as some smaller varieties that pose absolutely no threat.  This announcement is to bring awareness to the presence of the africanized honey bee, not to create a mass bee scare.  Protect yourselves while maintaining compassion.

The local Fire Department should be called to deal with any of these nests you might find
066 from a land line goes to a dispatch center in Nuevo Vallarta.  There’s a less than 50/50 chance the person answers speaks English. Be patient, they will find someone who speaks enough to know what you want. This is the radio dispatch located on the highway at Jarretaderas.

066 from a cellphone goes to a dispatch center in PV.
Dispatch center in PV from landlines: 01 322-113-3255
Dispatch center in PV from a cell phone 322 113 3255.