|
Most families happily welcome their neighbors when they drop in for a
visit. But the Graves family was less than pleased this week to see some
of their more than 50,000 neighbors.
Bees, lots of bees, possibly as many as 125,000, had made a hive inside a burned-out mobile home in the 8900 block of Mission Lane on the East Mesa. "You know, half a dozen can give you a fit," said 85-year-old Oliver Graves, who lives across the street from where the bees appeared. Over the past two days, Graves was stung seven times around his neck and right ear while working to fix his air conditioning system. The bees were first discovered by a crew from Triple J Excavation, a
Las Cruces company hired to demolish the mobile home. |
|
|
"When my crews were out here (Wednesday), the bees were disturbed
either by the heavy equipment or the chainsaw," said Irma Morales,
project manager for Triple J.
Graves said that as a child he was stung several times by bees, but until Wednesday had never encountered such aggressive ones. Though he was not injured, Graves said the bees did keep him indoors. "Nuisance is right. It got me to where I didn't want to go back outside," Graves said. By Thursday the bees had been taken care of by Bob Miranda of Border Pest Control, the exterminating company hired by Morales. Miranda used a mixture of soap, water and insecticide to destroy the hive, which he estimated contained between 50,000 and 125,000 bees. He said that by comparison to some others, the hive on Mission Lane was small. Miranda estimated the hive weighed about 20 pounds, small in comparison to a hive his company destroyed a few years ago in the Deming area that measured about seven feet in length and housed "millions of bees." Though they were described as aggressive, Miranda could not say if the bees were the Africanized-type of bee. He said the bees would have to be taken to a lab to make that determination. According to New Mexico State University entomologist David Thompson, Africanized bees are very common in the area. Sherry Graves, Oliver Graves' daughter-in-law who lives next door, said she had been trying to get rid of the bees for more than a day, but had not been able to get any help from authorities. "It's like nobody knows what to do with it," said Sherry Graves, herself stung twice by the bees. Doņa Ana County spokesman Jess Williams said the county does not have the equipment or trained personnel to handle nuisance bees, and it is the responsibility of the property owner to get rid of the bees if they are on private property. "We don't get involved in bee removal," Williams said. Sherry Graves said her husband, Leslie Graves, was about to attempt to destroy the hive early Thursday but decided against it when he saw how many bees he would have to deal with. Thompson said the last thing someone should do is attempt to remove bees without the proper equipment or training. He said bees typically will not attack unless they are bothered, but cautioned that bee stings could be potentially fatal to those who are allergic. According to Thompson, once a bee stings it releases a powerful pheromone that attracts other bees. "You just turn and run," Thompson advised anyone who is attacked by a swarm of bees. "Don't try to stand there and swat at them. ... Don't try the old jump-in-the-pool trick either. Eventually you'll have to come up for air and they'll be waiting for you." Jose Medina can be reached at jmedina@lcsun-news.com Bee tips If you have an encounter with bees: You should run from the bees as quickly as you can. Bees are slow flyers and cannot keep up. Try to cover your face with either your hands or a shirt while running (bees will attack the eyes, nose and mouth). Seek shelter in a building or vehicle. Do not jump into a pool or lake as the bees will attack when you come up for air. The bees will continue to be agitated after the attack by loud or humming noises such as barking dogs, lawn mowers, weed eaters, flashing lights and the like. Try to keep the area as quiet and calm as possible. If it appears that a person is being attacked or other people are in imminent danger because of the attack, call 911 immediately. Source: lasvegasnevada.org If you are stung If you or another is stung by a bee and you become dizzy, nauseated and have difficulty breathing, an allergic reaction to the sting might be occurring. This is a serious medical emergency and you should call 911 immediately. If you are stung, remove the stinger by scraping it out and washing the area with soap and water and applying a cold pack. If you are stung more than 10 times, you should go to a quick care center or contact your personal physician. Reaction to bee venom takes several hours, which may cause you to feel sick later. People with an allergic reaction should call 911 and seek immediate medical attention. |
|
