I received some info from a news letter from ASA last night, and I would like to share.

/*Africanized bees*//*
discoverd at ISDRA*/


Because of recent rains and high concentrations of flowering flora, several swarms of Africanized bees have made hives east of the railroad tracks. These bees are aggressive and are easily agitated by noise like that created by off road vehicles. County vector control has been notified and signs will be posted to inform visitors of Africanized Bee Study Areas. Please heed warnings and stay out of posted areas. Also, it is advised to stay on well used existing roads and trails. If a hive or swarm is discovered do not swat at the bees as this will cause an attack. Exit area immediately and contact BLM.

Pass this info on!! Dune Safe and Smart!!

I had a swarm go right over me in my chair at camp in buttercup on presidents day! That swarm was pretty big but they moved thru pretty quick.

Great, First came the razor back, then the witches eye. Next came the LEO then the sierra club cut off half our damn riding area. If these dangers arent enough now you have a bunch of pissed off bees to worry about

Aaron

And still we play on.



Vicki

Sorry, I must go play in my sandbox.

More effers trying to crowd us out

And all the government does with a potentially dangerous situation is study it.

All hail the experts!

I think JET it needs to be studied before we can figure out what to do about it. I think sometimes if we try to weed out a whole species from a certain area (native or not) it really upsets the balance of the ecosystem there.

At least we have been warned about the situation and will know how to handle it we encounter any. Thanks for the info

Africanized bees are not native nor part of that eco-system. Wipe them out.

I know they are not native Bansh. But in wiping them out, there is a good chance that we will also wipe out others in the ecosystem...that was my point. Must not have been clear.

Your point was perfectly clear, it was just ridiculous... who gives a damn about the
food chain involved with a bunch of eff*ing bees. Much less African Killers....
Flame throwers.... tourch them all.

Well Southern Boy, looks like the government does, doesn't it?

Save the bees... Whats next? Save the fire ants? Termites?

I'm not saying Save the Bees. All I'm saying is that I'm sure there is a legit reason they haven't wiped the bees out...like figuring out how to do it without killing everything else in the area-hence the comment about upsetting the whole ecosystem.

That's all. Not that hard to understand.

This is why freeways are re-routed into dangerous configurations... because building them the right way might harm a fairy shrimp. Never mind how many human lives are lost every year because of the dangerous configuration, as long as the fairy shrimp is free from harm.

No one has died from the bees. Yet.

Let's hope that whatever measures were not taken against them in order to preserve whatever else might be out there is worth it if someone does.

Vicki

^^^^^ cranky

Introducing a species into a non native environment is more harmfull than killing a few native species...look at the brown tree snake in Guam or take a look at how Hawaii handles people bringing in non native plants/animals......maybe we could introduce a species into the ISDRA that will kill all the milkvetch so they cant blame us for killing them off...
------------------------------
Since they were accidentally introduced to Guam in the late 1940s, brown tree snakes (BTS) have decimated the island’s endemic birds and reptiles, causing the local extinction of five lizard and nine bird species, including the Guam rail. The snakes aren’t simply a nuisance, they’re an ecological and economic nightmare. Every time the sun sets over the western Pacific, more than a million brown tree snakes emerge from their daytime hideouts on Guam, prowling secluded forests as well as residential neighborhoods.

----------------------------------------------------

Well, we all already know I feel differently about most environmental issues than 99% of the people on the board so...I'd say this topic is just par for the course. The bees haven't harmed anyone YET so give vector control or whoever some time to make a decision...being as they are the trained professionals in this matter. I just don't hold the attitude that we have to kill everything before we know as much as we can.

And Vicki, you and I have gone back and forth before. I'd guess so many human lives are lost on dangerously configured freeways because people drive too fast, talk on cell phones, etc.

IIRC, africanized bees came to be out of an "experiment" gone awry....would hate to see what would come out of this if they tried to kill them and just made the ones who didn't die more hostile

Actually, they just haven't killed anyone at Glamis yet...they have killed people other places.

That's a good guess. And there are many accidents attributed to many things.

But that's not what we're talking about here. This is directly related to species concerns. So… unless you mean a death caused by someone using a cell phone to call the Sierra Club, we’re off the mark

There have been studies that have shown a risk to human life in order to save, and I'm almost dead certain it was exactly, a fairy shrimp, by building a road one way over another. And that risk was considered “acceptable” because it would lessen the harm to the vernal-pool (aka puddle) dwelling fairy shrimp.

What about how long it took to get the Herman Schneider bridge built (you know… the one that allows safe crossing of ATVs) because of one or another species? And don’t even get me started on Klamath Falls.

I'm talking about people like that idiot Suckling with the Center for Biological Diversity who has been quoted as putting a minnow ahead of a family farm.

Far too often in the last twenty years (less so in recent years, luckily), the fate of a critter has been put ahead of the danger to human life. Don't believe it? Read up on wolves and bears in other states and mountain lions right here in California.

I'm not saying gas the bees right away. But I am saying that if they become a genuine threat to humans, damn the torpedoes.

Vicki


edited for foolish spelling errors

There is no known method to wiping them out. that is why they are still here

Plus the Government will pay some bug loving geek handsomely to study the bees.

It's this blindness that , WE SHOULD SAVE EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD, that pisses me off. If a creature is supposed to survive, it will. By killing off a few that are not where they belong, it will not kill off the whole species.

What if they start breeding with the "BRAWLEY BEES"( I think thats a highschool tennis team) now they all become more aggresive.

JUST KILL THE eff*ERS !!!!!!!!!!!

DAMN, NOW I'M PISSED OFF THINKING AND TYPING ABOUT IT.


Going to have a smoke.

to the damn bees! Get them out of there! Too many people/kids/dogs etc around there this time of year! Sorry DG333, but I don't want to have to worry about a swarm of bees attacking my kids while we are there because they are riding a 90 around. Eff that!

JET--
I agree! A freaking study? C'mon now! How stupid is that? Let's call Danny Boy and see if he want's to "study" them.

Just a note, as was stated above, Africanized bees are a man made creation. You can look it up. Escaped from a lab somewhere in South America the '80's, the docs were trying to create a docile bee that produced a lot of honey, ended up with a very aggressive swarming one.

Africans are really dangerous to deal with, get them stirred up and they may descend upon someone miles away with fatal results. That's why they are just left alone. I think it was the dry deserts that pretty much stopped them from coming into the states from Mexico.

As far as ecosystem, you don't want them around. They crowd out other native bee species, destroy honey production, and are dangerous to have around pets, kids, old people, wildlife, and stock animals.

I know they are dangerous.

All I was saying is that I'm sure they haven't gotten rid of them yet because they are trying to figure out how to do it without ruining the surrounding ecosystem-which may not be important to you, but is important to others-whether or not you agree with it. And I also know they are not good for the ecosystem but harmfully removing them may be devastating to it. So maybe for now...it's a little bit of a Catch 22.

And really, I have to laugh at the fact that this is our own fault. None of you will agree with me but I try to see a little humor in everything...comes with the job, I guess.

DirtGurl - Ill kick your ass for comments like that!!!


Now the bees are here in Glamis.. They have been in the US for some time now and yes they have killed several people and animals. They are man-made threat <-------- That effin cracks me up also.. We made them - so now we cant effin mess with them..

I know.. Lets study the study that led to the study of making bees referenced from the study that said we need more honey from the study that said humans need more honey in their diets which came from a study why kids are getting fat which came from a study why there is a McDonalds on every corner which came from a study that 4 out of every 10 McDonalds does not change its cooking oil which came from a study from Vegeterians who filed a law suite cause McDonalds used a animal product based oil.

In a nutshell - The Vegetarians started this whole thing!!!

You guys do realize that Africanized bees have been in the Glamis area (and all of Imperial and even San Diego counties) for years already don't you?

http://bees.ucr.edu/

They've been in the area since at least 1995 and the only reported sting from them happened right around Glamis in Winterhaven:

http://bees.ucr.edu/ahb-spread.html

Here's even more info on them in CA:

http://bees.ucr.edu/ahb-update.html

As of 99 there had been 6 deaths due to them. Don't have any stats handy on deaths from normal bees but they happen as well. The stings aren't any more dangerous than from normal bees - it's just that they tend to mobilize and swarm quicker causing more bites if you don't get out of there quick.

No more EFFIN drama,

Go to Glamis.

Meet some cool peeps,

Have a great time.

Its that simple.

P.S. Q.G & K.G. have a great trip.

keep your fire burning.
oily smoke works the best.

Keep the 2 strokes running

Just when I thought we were pulling you out of the enviro cave!

I can tell you what is important to me, my kids, my husband, all of my friends that are out in Glamis. IF we have to torch, fumigate, blow up or any other method needed to get rid of these effen bees before the "when" someone is killed/attacked to "remember when" someone was killed/attacked I am all for it!

I think that it is humans own damn fault too. HOWEVER that does not mean that to protect my family I would say "well we made them, sucks to be us". Eff that. If there was a colony found in your neighborhood would you say the same thing? Or a nearby park? I don't think so. Just because the little bastards are out in the desert means nothing. The part of the desert they are in, becomes a small town on weekends during this time of year. Next thing you know, we won't be able to go to G because we "need" to be protected from these bees, and they won't remove them because some greenies are out there "studying" them. What a bunch of BS.

BTW....Chummin, LMAO!

Just roost their hives and see how far the chase you, might be pretty fun aslong as you saty inf front. You can race them.

Just kidding. I bees and these africanized bees are no better. If i see a hive my arse is out of there.

I stepped on a bee with bare feet (on accident) when I was 7 and the bastard stung me... I say find a way to make synthetic honey and torch every effing bee there is

seriously though, the AKB is a menace to society... effing eliminate them from the face of the earth

This topic is giving me ideas about that home made flame thrower I saw on the internet the other day.

Chummin and QG I am rolling over here You would've had to expect my response...come on, I won't kill animals to eat, why would I kill them for any other reason?

Again, we don't always agree but I can see both sides of the coin. And I'm glad JHitesma stepped in with some facts. I'm not a fan of getting stung by bees either and I certainly don't want kids getting stung...I'm just saying...there has to be some kind of solution that doesn't ruin the whole place. That's all.

Something you folks could try is go to your local sporting goods store (Sport Chalet, Big 5, whatever ), and buy a can of "OFF" insect repellant. It's worked for me. I live in a very mountainous area and the hill sides are covered with all kinds of floral growth thanks to this last months hurrendous rain fall.
Just last weekend I was in my back yard and a dozen or so bees swarmed around me , one even landed on my arm , "THAT DOES IT"!! , I went inside , sprayed my arms with OFF , went back out and the effen bees really kept their distance. So, next time I go to Glamis I'm sure as hell gonna bring the insect repellant . I'll just hose myself down with this stuff and go riding with no worries

OK, now ,, back to the garage with my flame thrower project

Tegan--
2 things that I have an issue with on your post-

1) Who thinks of bees as an animal, they are an insect!! And they are generally not killed for human consumption.

2) We are not talking about "getting stung" here. These bees attack in a large swarm and will sting you to death. They don't stop. There is a difference here.

Also, duh, everyone knows they are all over the SouthWest now, BUT if they are anywhere near people, they are exterminated because they pose too much of a risk to people.

Ok my son weighs about 30 pounds....

I just cant believe what idiot wanted to make a new bee. Stupid is what i would call him. This topic reminds me of the verizon comercial with the guys that are camping in the woods and the one guy got bit by a bug on his cheak. LOL

get a clue everyone...........that hippy chic employeed by the BLM planted them!

Hmmm..on Fox 10 local news tonight...78 local Africanized Bee calls in the Phoenix area SO FAR this year. 28 calls in the last week to the City of Mesa (where we live) in the last week alone. They had a professional bee exterminator on TV also, and they said get rid of them ASAP if they are near your home or area.

Hot darn, Slap knows somebody dat used to give presentations on da Africanized Honey Bee... ...Well, in da beginning, there was no intention in creating such a hostile bee at all...As a matter of fact, da whole idea was to creat a honey bee dat could polinate faster and produce more honey at a rapid rate. This was going on in da early 60's in Brazil when a few of the experimental bees escaped into the surrounding countryside, hooked up with the native bees, and became the AHB, (if slap's memory serves him correctly). And, it turns out dat they don't polinate quicker nor do they produce more honey than the more docile European Honey Bee. They are more aggressive, will swarm up to 6 times a year, and build hives nearly anywhere, but prefer ground area. The AHB don't kill or destroy other hives, they actually join that hive, and colonize that hive into the AHB. All the docile bees in that hive they infiltrate become AHB's. Then da queen takes off, and half of the hive joins her, leaving the other half for a new queen. When something gets close to da hive, the docile EHB will send out scouts, about 10 or so, determine if it is a threat, then go back to da hive. The AHB will send thousands to investigate, and then determines that you are a threat, and will send nearly the entire colony at you, and it can be in the tens of thousands if it is a big colony. Dark clothing is what attracts them also, they be thinking you are a bear and are going to steal their honey. Also, while swarming, they will not attack, they are looking for a place to stop and possibly build a hive, but won't attack in this state. Question is, are the AHB's becoming more docile the more they swarm into areas and colonize with the European Honey Bees. Doesn't look like it. BUT, all known AHB colonies are destroyed when discovered. There really doesn't need to be any more study on them, dats been done.

Hope the info helps...If you are engaged in an AHB attack, RUN YO ASS OFF.

As for destroying them, the bee folks have done perty good in controlling them when they are found, and will be moved or destroyed. But to destroy all bees, dat wouldn't be good at all, we be needing them Honey Bees, they is very important.

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In an earlier era...you're kind would've starved to death....hmmm, so would the CBD...isn't progress grand?

Geoff

As a kid I thought it would be fun to throw rocks at a hive we found at church camp. BIG MISTAKE! My rock hit the hive and before I could run I was stung on the face. Then, as I was running, got stung several more times. Thank god they werent African bees. Interesting thing though, my 2 friends whom I was with, did not get stung once. After that, I knew these things were pretty smart. They only sting the A-hole that throws rocks.

Now THAT is EFFING hilarious!
Hey, be tolerant....LMAO!

Yeppers. The news showed a huge box of DEAD bees that had been killed locally this week. Good for them for taking care of the problem! Or at least trying to.

Hey GreenDirtGirl, if a circus dropped off all their lions and tigers at Glamis and they breeded into a huge pack and started killing lots of people at Glamis, would you support a "study" of the deaths of humans, or should we just capture/and/or/kill the human killers?

I KNEW IT! Damn vegetarians.

I think a scorched earth policy concerning the bees is an acceptable cost for an desired gain.

Shoes, boots, gloves, hats, coats, pants, shirts, wallets, purses, belts, rugs, seat covers, upholstery, sadles, bridles, glue, jello, tallo, grease, medicine, decoration, sport, sheer bloodlust.

Now THAT is going to one very hard post for her to argue against. And many of those things that aren't made from animals are made from chemicals that certain groups claim are polluting the Earth.

What about plants? Plants are people too! How dare someone eat lettuce! That lettuce has feelings! And cotton too! How dare anyone wear cotton clothes.... etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc........................