Officials
in southern Utah say they'll be ready, and there's no reason to panic, if Killer Bees,
move into the St. George area. But, how big is such a threat? And, what do you need to
know to protect yourself?
Our John Hollenhorst, who has been on the trail of these bees for several weeks,
reports how soon these bees could be in Utah.
One expert told us he's convinced they're already in Southern Utah; if not, they could
arrive almost anytime. We do know there was a dramatic attack on a man three weeks ago,
just over the border in Mesquite, Nevada. We arrived on the scene shortly after, and found
out that human instinct may have saved his life.
When we arrived on scene October 20, Mesquite animal control had already subdued the
bees with chemical spray. And Ron Moser was calming down from a wild tree-trimming
experience.
Ron Moser/Mesquite City Worker: "Last cut, it was full of bees. And we paid the
price for it."
He'd been 20 feet high on a bucket-truck, chain-sawing a tree limb.
Moser: "They just come out. I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen so
many."
Strapped high in his bucket, Moser was in deep trouble.
Moser: "My partner jumped in the truck, Wade Morse jumped in the truck, lifted
the skids and just took off with the truck. And I was just swarmed."
Hollenhorst: "You were riding in the bucket?"
Moser: "I was just riding in the bucket, just trying to get away from the
bees."
He did get away, lucky to get only 17 stings. He came back for revenge... with a
propane torch.
Moser: "I've trimmed trees for over 20 years. I've never been attacked like
that, never."
Hollenhorst: "So you'd guess, maybe Africanized?"
Moser: "Well, they're something-ized. I don't know what it is."
Africanized Killer Bees look the same as our familiar European honeybees. Even experts
can tell them apart only by the vicious behavior.
We urged Mesquite Animal Control to send Ron Moser's bees to a lab for testing. The
result: 100 percent Africanized. The first Killer Bee attack on Utah's doorstep.
If the killer bees break out of Nevada into Utah, it will likely be up this corridor,
where I-15 goes up the Virgin River. Some experts believe the bees could quickly move
across southern Utah, from St. George to Moab.
But two top experts who've tracked the bees from Central America to Arizona disagree on
a crucial question: Could the highly adaptable but tropical bees make it on the Wasatch
Front, where there are real winters?
Dr. Justin Schmidt/Carl Haydn Bee Lab: "Salt Lake City and Salt Lake Valley? I
just really don't think, the way we see bees here in Southern Arizona, will ever be in
that area."
Dr. Steven Thoenes/Entomologist: "Africanized bees are highly variable. In that
variety, there may be a type that will be well-adapted to Salt Lake City."
The two scientists believe Africanized bees are something less than an urban nightmare.
Dr. Thoenes: "Certainly it's not an issue to panic about. It's an issue to
become educated about."
They co-invented a trap, scattered in key locations around Tucson. Once bees move in,
they can be quickly killed with dishwashing soap and water.
Dr. Thoenes: "There's the queen right there! See her? She's a little bit larger
than the other bees."
If colonies are wiped out regularly, they aren't in place long enough to develop the
notoriously aggressive defensive behavior.
Dr. Thoenes: "We've learned how to take care of it. They're a pest control
issue."
But every new community has a learning curve. What if a Utahn blunders into a colony,
and it explodes? Do more or less what Ron Moser did.
Dr. Schmidt: "If it's a serious attack, just get out. One word. Just go away as
fast as you can. Run! Just haul butt!"
Probably the best advice is, don't make a home for the bees. Clean up your property;
close up holes and hollow spaces. And if you stumble across a colony, walk away quietly
and call authorities.
Fatal attacks do happen, but rarely. As one scientist told us, more people are killed
by High School football. And we haven't even thought about stamping out football.
