A swarm of bees interrupted play at a Royals-Angels baseball game in Tempe last weekend, though the bees were luckily relaxed and removed without incident. Blue Sky Pest Control joined ABC 15 to explain to viewers the behavior of bees during a now thriving bee season—and what viewers should look out for.

Other news outlets got in on the action too, with Az Central 12 News and Fox 10 tapping into our expertise for some bee wisdom:

AZCentral.com: After bees delay game, experts predict active spring

Fox10phoenix.com: Bee swarm disrupts Angels spring training game

This isn’t the first time that bees have interrupted a game here in Arizona, and they weren’t just your average honeybees that disrupted the game. They were Africanized honeybees, a very common and potentially dangerous bee in Arizona.

The Bees of Arizona

There are around 1,300 native species of bees in Arizona, with bee groups such as bumblebees, carpenter bees, squash bees and mining bees making their home here.

Bees are beneficial, as they pollinate and forage around flowers to provide us with vegetables, fruit, and nuts—not to forget honey and wax, of course. Without bees, life as we know it would be very different!

But what are Africanized bees and what are they doing here?

Also known as “killer bees” due to their aggressive nature, Africanized honey bees are found in California, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona. More than 95 percent of all bees in Arizona are presumed to be Africanized.

Africanized bees are more aggressive and easier to provoke than the European honeybee that beekeepers maintain. European honeybees were brought over to the colonies in order to produce honey in America, as the honey bee is not native to U.S. Although the Africanized bees do produce honey, they aren’t used by U.S. Beekeepers because of their aggressive nature.

Africanized bees are a hybrid, the resulting offspring from the existing European honeybees and newly arrived African honeybees in Brazil. In 1957, 26 Tanzanian queen bees were accidentally released in Brazil, and their offspring slowly made their way up to the U.S. They arrived in Arizona around 1993 and quickly took over the hives of the more docile European bees, nearly wiping them out.

The only way to really tell the difference between a “normal” bee and an Africanized one is by very carefully measuring it, as the Africanized bee is slightly smaller than the European bee—but this is a task you probably don’t want to perform on a live one!

The Real Danger

The sting of an Africanized bees is no more potent than a regular European honeybee’s sting; unless you’re allergic to bee stings, you won’t die from one sting alone.

The danger with these bees lies in their aggression. Africanized bees are very easy to provoke and will attack with more defender bees, so you will get stung much more often. They are at their most aggressive near their hives, as they will be protecting their young.

It is their persistence that can cause Africanized bee attacks to be fatal—they have been known to chase a perceived threat up to half a mile!

Common Misconceptions

• You will not die from one sting by an Africanized bee (unless you’re allergic).
• They are not massive bees (you might be thinking of the Chinese killer hornet).
• A swarm of bees will not chase you down the street, like they do in movies.
• They’re not looking to hurt people—they just want to defend themselves.

If you see an Africanized bee:

• Do not provoke it, especially by swatting at it.
• Do not panic! People are more likely to die from running away from a swarm by running into traffic than being killed by the bees themselves.
• Do not try to remove a colony yourself.
• If you are being chased, run in a straight line, as you might be able to outrun it.
• Don’t bother hiding underwater. They will wait for you to resurface and then attack.
• Avoid other people if you have been stung (or if you are near someone who has been stung). The sting releases a pheromone that marks you as a threat, which tells the other bees to attack you, too.
• If you get stung more than 30 times, go to the emergency room!

The Common Hangouts of Africanized Bees

At this time of year, with the rain and the flowers in bloom, there are likely to be a lot of swarms around. New queens, along with a portion of the workers, will break off from the current hive and head off to find a new location for their own. When they stop to rest, which is usually in a big ball-like shape, they’re not aggressive. However, they will attack you if they feel threatened or provoked. It’s best to keep clear of swarms.

As their colonies are fairly small, they will hang around walls, holes, and hollow trees— basically anything small and easily accessible for them in which to set up shop. Once settled, they can stay there for years.

When to Call a Professional

As long as a hive of Africanized bees is located away from human dwellings, the pollinating activities of the bees are beneficial. But they can become a public health concern when they set up hives in residential yards, homes, and businesses.

If you see a hive too close for comfort, it’s best to call a professional that has the knowledge and correct equipment to use for its safe removal.

Bees assist in the pollination of many fruits, vegetables and other foods. As such, the health of bees is critical to crop yields, which drive the price and availability of many foods. Pollinator health has been the focus of many recent news stories, most often about the concern over the factors impacting global bee health.

Mixed Messages: Africanized Bees and Pollinator Health

Africanized bees reached Arizona in the early ’90s. Now, according to the University of Arizona, it is estimated that almost 100% of wild bee colonies in Arizona are Africanized honey bee colonies. The emergence of Africanized bees in Arizona over the last two decades has in fact led to several deaths in the state.

Media outlets have attempted to educate the public about the behavior, aggressive nature, and typical locations of Africanized bees, highlighting the need to stay away from them. Africanized bees are most likely to be swarming or building hives in or around homes and businesses, creating a real health hazard. Bees located in these areas should be removed to reduce the likelihood of an Africanized bee attack.

These wild Africanized bee colonies assist in pollination, but while they do help, commercial bee colonies are often brought in by farmers to pollinate their crops and/or groves. These bees are generally European honey bees, which are not as aggressive as Africanized honey bees and do not pose the same health risk.

Where Africanized honey bees do not pose any possible health threat—i.e., they are located far away from where people frequent—they generally should be left alone so they can continue their beneficial pollination work.

Colony Collapse Disorder and Its Impact on Pollinator Health

Within the last decade, bees have started experiencing what is called colony collapse disorder (CCD). CCD occurs when worker bees abandon the colony, which destroys or severely weakens the colony as a whole. The impact CCD has on overall bee health, bee populations, and the perceived threat to the food supply has brought a sizable amount of global focus to the problem. Major organizations have undertaken research to determine the factors that cause CCD so that responsible policies can be introduced to reverse its impact.

Researching the Causes of CCD

There is a growing consensus among these research scientists that the primary causes of CCD are Varroa mites, nutrition, certain fungi and various diseases. Several investigators and interest groups have examined whether pesticides are contributing factor to CCD, with studies bringing the attention to a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, or “neonics.”

Some media outlets have inaccurately stated that neonics are the cause of CCD. This misinterpretation of scientific research has generated calls for bans or moratoriums to prevent the use of neonics. However, it is important to understand the science behind neonics so that public policy is not shaped by these inaccurate reports and information driven into the public sphere.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that “several studies that reported a negative impact on honey bees by neonicotinoids relied on large, unrealistic doses and gave bees no other choice for pollen, and therefore did not reflect risk to honey bees under real world conditions. Nor have the studies demonstrated a direct connection or correlation to CCD.”

While neonics and other pesticides may not be a primary cause for CCD, they will always, of course, be viewed with suspicion.

Professional Applicators and a Commitment to Pollinator Health

Although there is growing consensus that neonics are not a primary cause of CCD, applicators of pesticides should be mindful that any misapplication can influence the public’s interpretation of its impact on pollinator health.

Professional applicators have a responsibility to ensure pollinators are not inadvertently affected by a misapplication of a product. Continued support should be given to researchers throughout the world to help the public better understand the complicated convergence of the various causes of CCD so we can implement better policy and measures to protect pollinators.

In May 2013, when Tucson resident Steven Wallace Johnson failed to turn up to work on Monday morning after a weekend of hiking, his coworkers were naturally concerned and quickly notified the authorities. After a short search, his body was found, still in his rappelling gear on a mountain south of Tucson, Arizona. However, authorities were surprised to find his body was covered in bee stings. The culprit? The Africanized honeybee.

Background of the Africanized Honeybee

Although deaths like Johnson’s are rare, Africanized honeybees, otherwise known as “killer bees,” have caused a number of fatalities and serious injuries in the U.S. This bee is actually a hybrid species, which was produced in the crossbreeding of the African honeybees with a number of other European bee species. According to the University of California, these bees were first introduced into the U.S. in 1990, and they have quickly spread to establish themselves in a number of southern states, including Arizona and Texas.

Africanized Honeybee Behavior

Africanized honeybees differ from other types of honeybees in both appearance and behavior. They are far more aggressive when defending their hive than European bees and have a larger alarm radius around their hive. They also use a higher proportion of guard bees within the hive, and they tend to deploy more bees for defensive purposes. In addition, the Africanized honeybee tends to follow perceived threats for longer distances from the hive. The aggressive behavior of the Africanized honeybee is thought to be the result of the harsher conditions in the African environment, where the honeybees would face other threats such as honey badgers and even humans, forcing them to become more aggressive to ensure their survival.

Africanized Honeybee Precautions

Although Africanized honeybees are more aggressive than normal honeybees, it is important not to overreact or overstate the threat that they may pose to the general population. With April being National Honeybee Awareness Month, here are a few precautions on how to stay safe from Africanized honeybees:

• When operating machinery near Africanized honeybees, take special care. According to the San Diego Natural History Museum, these bees are easily disturbed by the vibration or exhaust that comes from machinery such as lawn mowers or leaf blowers.
• When doing yard work, look for signs of bees or beehives before turning over rocks, trees or other types of debris that could be hiding a bee’s nest.
• Africanized honeybees tend to prefer cavities such as holes in the ground, crevices, hollow trees and water meters. Be alert as to possible nests and stay away as much as possible. If you do find a nest in your home or yard, call a professional to remove it.
• Dark clothing attracts these bees. When hiking or engaging in activities that may lead you to run into Africanized bees, wear as much light clothing as possible. Also, try to stay away from perfumes or other strong fragrances that may also attract these bees.
• If you do happen to unexpectedly encounter a nest or swarm, walk away slowly and avoid excessive motion such as wild waving of arms.

What to Do in Case of Attack

In the unfortunate case that you are attacked, your first priority should be to run away as quickly and as far as possible until the bees stop following you. Cover the sensitive areas of around your eyes and head as much as you can. If possible, get inside an enclosed area where the bees can no longer follow you. After being stung, remove the bee stingers promptly with a blunt object (like carefully scraping a credit card or butter knife over the area to scrape off the singer, for example). Avoid using your fingers or tweezers, as this may inject more venom. Use soap and water on the areas stung to prevent infection, and apply ice to help reduce pain and swelling. If you do receive many stings or have an allergic reaction, seek immediate medical attention.

Although the Africanized honeybee is not native to the United States, it seems that there are here to stay. By following reasonable precautions and being aware of your surroundings, you, too, can neutralize the threat of the Africanized honeybee.