Bee swarming season is here. Within the past few weeks Avondale Fire-Rescue has received several calls from concerned citizens reporting swarms of bees in the city. March and April typically mark the beginning of swarming season for bees, a time when the bees will be moving from place to place. Warmer weather and increased outdoor activity leads to the increased possibility of bee encounters.

Bee hives, especially those that are wild, are where the danger lies. Bees will build their hive (their home) in places where predators can not get to them such as inside sprinkler control boxes, street light poles, utility boxes in sidewalks, inside walls of buildings, inside concrete block walls and inside old hollow trees and desert plants. When the bees begin to produce honey (their food supply) and lay eggs for new bees, they will defend their home. When they believe that either their food supply is threatened or someone will kill their young, they will defend their home by stinging. In many cases the stinging can lead to hundreds of stings. Bees do not attack. They are only defending their home. Sometimes noises such as pounding the ground or tools such as lawnmowers or weed eaters will send out vibrations, which makes the bees believe someone is entering the hive to destroy it. They will send out bees to the source of the noise to defend the hive.

"Bee hives are dangerous and should be removed by a professional bee removal service. It should never be done by a civilian" states Chief Art Snapp. "The process requires the use of professional safety gear and clothing."

It is the responsibility of the property owner where the bees are to have them removed. If needed, contact a professional exterminator. The city of Avondale does not remove or exterminate bees on private property.

Here are some safety tips concerning bees:

IF YOU HAVE BEES - LEAVE THEM ALONE.

Swarming Bees - Will appear as a large group of bees (that look like a football or basketball) hanging on the side of a building, on a fence, on tree branches or street signs. They sometimes can be found on the ground. Leave them alone. If weather is good, they will usually fly away. When they do, all of the bees will leave together. If you have them exterminated, a number of the bees (stragglers) will remain in the area for a day or two and they will be irritable because they can not find the rest of the swarm. In most cases the bees will fly away to their destination within a day or two. If they remain for more than three days, you should then consider having them removed by a professional bee removal service.
Bees in Hives - If you have bees, it is the responsibility of the property owner to remove them. This should be done by a professional pest or insect removal service.

YOU SHOULD NOT TRY TO EXTERMINATE THE BEES YOURSELF.

Most people do not have the necessary safety equipment to remove bees. Past attempts of people trying to exterminate bees themselves have led to serious injury. This is extremely dangerous and you are advised to leave this to a professional exterminator.

IN CASE 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-mouth).
• Seek shelter in a building or vehicle. Do not jump into a pool or lake, 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, lawnmowers, 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, you should call 9-1-1 immediately.
• If someone is stung by a bee and becomes dizzy, nauseated or has difficulty breathing, an allergic reaction to the sting might be occurring. This is a serious medical emergency and 9-1-1 should be called 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 to the sting site.
• If you are stung more than 10 times, you should go a quick care center or contact your personal physician and be checked out. Reaction to bee venom takes several hours, which may cause you to feel sick later. People with an allergic reaction should call 9-1-1 seek immediate medical attention.