A swarm of aggressive bees that attacked a town in Northern California – and was pinpointed for the killing of two dogs and stinging of several people – has been eradicated by experts Saturday night.
The police responded to the Concord neighborhood scene on May 14 following reports of a huge swarm of bees attacking both animals and people. They enlisted the help of bee experts from the Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association.
An amateur beekeeper got rid of a hive after an attack and left some possibly Africanized bees buzzing around, recalled Norman Lott of the beekeepers’ association.
“Very few bees were left flying around that didn’t make it back to the cluster [Saturday] night. I don’t anticipate going out there,” Lott said in a news report, adding that he has never seen anything like the current situation.
According to police captain Chris Blakely, they first received related reports on Friday, May 13 when amateur beekeeper Arthur Janke checked on backyard hives and got attacked by bees. He was treated at the hospital afterward for minor injuries from stings.
The bees were suspected for the death of two dachshunds, as well as the stinging of a child, postal worker, news people and beekeepers Janke and Lott.
On Hitchcock Road, it appears that everyone felt the bee stings and at more than one occasion, despite much swatting and spraying.
“Got me right in the eye,” shared resident Mike Malley, adding he was probably stung about 10 times.
Beekeepers, who said they used pheromones to call the bugs, worked to remove the bees safely while pedestrians were barred from the section of the neighborhood that suffered most of the attacks. The killer-bee situation was hoped to be completely under control by Sunday night.
While it is bee swarm season and quite common to get calls like this, bee experts find this specific attack an aggressive one. According to them, it is easier to round up the bees after the sun goes down and get them out of the scene as soon as possible.
Photo: Francis Chung | Flickr
