Bee etiquette: How to behave around our pollinating friends and avoid bee attacks
With summer getting into full swing, you may notice there's a little more buzz in the air.
Some of the stories are alarming, too. In 2022, an Ohio man received 20,000 bee stings, and swallowed 30, while helping a friend cut down tree branches and accidentally sliced into the hive.
No reason to panic, though, as here is what to know to stay safe around bees this summer.
Bee safety — for us and the bees — is an important part of our coexistence, so much so that a human's life expectancy is linked to that of the pollinator's well-being.
Part of that well-being comes in the form of improving our interactions with them by gaining a bit more understanding of their behavior.
Why do bees swarm?
Bee swarms are a natural fear. A massive, buzzing black wall flying throughout the sky would scare anyone. However, the swarms serve a purpose.
"A swarm is when, usually, half the bees leave an existing hive to go start a new hive and bees will not attack when they're swarming because the first thing they do before they leave is they fill their bellies with honey," President of the Beekeepers Association of Central Arizona and University of Montana Master Beekeeper Duane Combs told the Arizona Republic.
An article from Iowa State University echoes this, saying under most circumstances, honey bee swarms are not highly dangerous, due to a reduced ability to sting given the prior honey feed.
Full of honey and ready to relocate, the process often sees these swarms hover within 100 yards of their previous home while scouts check the market.
"They'll send scouts out from there and once they find a new home, then the scouts lead them to the new home," Combs said. "You can stick your bare hand into a swarm and 99.95% of the time they will not sting you."
Though not advised, Combs point provides some perspective on the myths surrounding the nature of bee swarms, and while daunting, the true danger is in the form of existing hives.
When will bees attack?
It mainly comes down to self-defense. Protecting the hive, themselves, or their resources is when bees will risk their lives.
"Swarms aren't the problem, it's existing hives and what the bees are doing is protecting their home, they're protecting their honey and pollen resources, they're protecting the baby bees, their queen and sisters," Combs said.
During the summer, attacks can occur more frequently as the bees become a bit more defensive due to the number of resources declining.
"We get in the summer what's called the dearth, where there are fewer flowers. If you remember, in early spring, every lot that had not been plowed in a year was covered with weeds that flowered and so there was a tremendous amount of food available," Combs said. "Right now, there still are urban flowers and some trees, but for the most part, the amount of food out there has gone down dramatically."
When bees forage, Combs said they can trek up to eight miles from their hive, but ideally prefer to shop only around half a mile to three miles, as to conserve energy.
When bees attack: Arizona mom stung 75 times during family photo shoot
Are Africanized or European honeybees more dangerous?
Generally, bees can be misconceived as aggressive insects, when, in fact, they attack only when they feel they need to defend their nest, Carl Hayden Bee Research Center research leader Gloria Hoffman told the Arizona Republic in 2016.
In large part, this can be attributed to the hysteria associated with Africanized bees, dubbed "killer bees," when they touched down in Texas in 1990 and ventured to Arizona three years later.
According to the Smithsonian Institution, Africanized bees are dangerous because they will attack in greater numbers compared to that of European honey bees. Additionally, upon their introduction to Brazil, they had killed 1,000 people with victims getting stung ten times more than that of the European variant.
This led some to believe that the sting from an Africanized honey bee was far more dangerous than others.
However, a 1989 study co-authored by Justin Schmidt, an insect behaviorist at the Southwest Biological Institute in Tucson cited by Scientific American, found that there was no difference in the "lethality of the venom from various honeybee subspecies."
"The authors concluded: Perhaps use of the popular term ‘killer bee’ to describe the Africanized bee is inappropriate,” according to Scientific American.
Their aggressive nature has also since fallen by the wayside.
"In the 90s, African bees were very aggressive. But because they've interbred with other bees, today being an Africanized bee doesn't mean they are going to be aggressive anymore than a European," Combs said.
Good news, as Combs also states that the most common type of bee found in Arizona are likely African hybrids.
How do first responders treat bee-sting victims?
Upon responding to an attack, fire crews will send out a team to assess the situation. They then may call in an ambulance or other reinforcements to treat sting victims and stabilize the swarm.
Those showing signs of anaphylactic shock, including swelling of the throat or loss of breath, will be transported to the hospital.
What should I do if I encounter a swarm?
If you find yourself squaring off against a potential swarm, the best thing to do is stay calm and leave.
"When dealing with bees that start coming towards you, the first thing they will do is bump you, because if they sting you they die," Combs said. "When you see bees circling around you or bumping you, you need to back up and back out of the area."
Don't swat at them, either, as it'll be perceived as an aggressive move, which could spark the bee into becoming more defensive, and increasing the possibility of getting stung.
Like most wild animals or insects, bees are just as unpredictable, meaning anyone, especially those allergic, should remain cautious.
"When you encounter bees, just move slowly out of the area, protecting your mouth and your eyes," Combs said.
These are some additional tips from experts to help reduce grabbing a bee's attention:
Avoid wearing dark, loose clothing or shiny objects while hiking
Avoid wearing perfumes, cologne or strong scent
Don't make jerky movements near hives
Do not swat at bees
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How to stay safe around bees during the summer
