Jump to content

Killer Bees Attack Climbers


Thinker

Recommended Posts

from the NPS morning report.

Saguaro National Park (AZ)

Africanized Honeybees Attack Visitors

 

On September 1st, a Tucson man and his 13-year-old son were attacked by Africanized honeybees while climbing on a cliff face in the park’s Tucson Mountain District. During the climb, the boy reached for a handhold above him. The rock he grabbed apparently dislodged a portion of the beehive, which neither climber had observed previously. The bees immediately began stinging the younger climber, who was on belay 50 feet up the cliff face. His father quickly lowered him and assisted with removal of his climbing harness. Both father and son were repeatedly stung as they ran back to the trailhead and their parked car, approximately 200 yards away. Other park visitors transported both individuals from the trailhead to a nearby fire station; from there, they were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The father had been stung over 200 times and was hospitalized overnight. His son was stung about 50 times and was treated and released. The park has contracted with a local bee exterminator to treat and remove the bees. Africanized honeybees (AHBs) are a hybrid between non-native domesticated strains of European honeybees and an African strain and were accidentally released in Brazil in 1957. AHBs were first detected in Arizona in 1993, and at Saguaro in 1994. Although there have been several minor bee incidents since 1994, this is the most significant attack ever recorded at Saguaro. Aggressive behavior in AHBs is generally related to defense of an established colony. AHBs attack swiftly and intensely, and are more likely to sustain a prolonged attack, sometimes following victims up to a mile. Attacking AHBs can deliver 400 to 500 stings in a short time; the accumulated toxin from 500 stings can easily kill the average adult.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 19
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

I remeber a conversation with a couple of older playmates when I was about 5 or 6. There was some article in Time magazine about killer bees and a map with dates projecting their migration. We were trying to figure out how old we'd be when the bees came and everyone was killed. Pretty morbid topic for a group of kids.

 

Now that I think about it I was waaay to serious waaay too early in life. cantfocus.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ehmmic said:

I remeber a conversation with a couple of older playmates when I was about 5 or 6. There was some article in Time magazine about killer bees and a map with dates projecting their migration. We were trying to figure out how old we'd be when the bees came and everyone was killed. Pretty morbid topic for a group of kids.

 

Now that I think about it I was waaay to serious waaay too early in life. cantfocus.gif

 

The Swarm must have caused your childhood fears!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ehmmic said:

I remeber a conversation with a couple of older playmates when I was about 5 or 6. There was some article in Time magazine about killer bees and a map with dates projecting their migration. We were trying to figure out how old we'd be when the bees came and everyone was killed. Pretty morbid topic for a group of kids.

 

Now that I think about it I was waaay to serious waaay too early in life. cantfocus.gif

but now that you are in junior high have you lightened up a little?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yelrotflmao.gif I think the year was 1975... I would never want to go back to jr. high or high school. Life is so much more fun when you're of legal age and have a few dollars in your pocket. wink.gif

 

Saw the swarm a few years after that conversation on my neighbors front porch. I remember having nightmares. Why would parents let 9 year olds watch the swarm anyways? Jaws, the Deep, and the suicide scene in Sat. night fever also caused me some stress. It's a wonder I love movies at all today. wave.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw it as a stupid Friday Night Movie on NBC back in '76. Made this then Chicagoland youngster think that Cailfornians were slow'n' stupid when it came to danger. It's a good thing they handed the world's fifth largest economy to a muscleman.

 

The hive on the Giant's Staircase at Broughton's has been properly eliminated - in case you're taking the kids out.

 

Bummer about the dad/son. Good to hear they survived. ooo.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dru said:

you got something against those with a front tooth space?

 

makes it easier to spit tobacco juice bigdrink.gif

 

Main Entry: di·a·ste·ma

Pronunciation: "dI-&-'stE-m&

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural di·a·ste·ma·ta /-m&-t&/

Etymology: New Latin, from Late Latin, interval, from Greek diastEma, from diistanai

Date: 1854

: a space between teeth in a jaw

 

wave.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ehmmic said:

yelrotflmao.gif I think the year was 1975... I would never want to go back to jr. high or high school. Life is so much more fun when you're of legal age and have a few dollars in your pocket. wink.gif

 

Saw the swarm a few years after that conversation on my neighbors front porch. I remember having nightmares. Why would parents let 9 year olds watch the swarm anyways? Jaws, the Deep, and the suicide scene in Sat. night fever also caused me some stress. It's a wonder I love movies at all today. wave.gif

 

Now I know whose pocket this fell out of at the last pub club I attended....

 

man.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...