Hurricanes and Killer bees
In South Florida, Miami, Ft Lauderdale, you can still see remnants of hurricane Ian. As we complete our cleanups and go to the dump with our debris, we probably are unaware that there are creatures in the animal Kingdom who suffered as much as we did through the Hurricanes. One of these is the Honey bee.
Honey bees of any kind, domesticated bees or the African killer bees, (yes killer bees are just honey bees, honey bees with an attitude) inhabit all manner of structures. It's not like bees need a box to live in, right? The hive box is a human idea as we capitalized on bee productive traits, as we farmed the bees over the generations. Just like the wild woodland ox became the big fat milk cow over generations of careful breeding, so the honeybee is a product of thousands of years of influences that we've had over it, from monks raising bees for making wine to scientists splicing genes in bees for disease resistance, , the honeybee that that we know is more apt to want to live in a dry controlled environment than out roughing it in nature . So you will see the domesticated honey bees sometimes out of a box yes but more likely into in a wall, a floor, a roof, in a water meter box etc..but less likely just hunkering down outside on a tree branch. Nature is more and more occupied by the wild strain of honeybees, like the African killer Bee.
The massive collapse of materials and specifically trees and shrubs uprooted by the hurricane displaced alot honeybees. Since nature is more and more occupied with African Killer bees you need to be aware that a swarm may have moved into a spot unnoticed near you. When bees are displaced a queen will follow after a scout bee to a new location and if another tree is not available then the floor of your shed or in your cable box or even the wall of your house might be their choice. You might not notice the bees in the first days and weeks of its arrival but later learn about your bees the hard way a few months from now.
As I mentioned, a swarm is just a bunch of bees following a queen to a new location. Swarms, even swarms of aggressive killer bees are not dangerous. The bee’s dangerous traits are directly linked to survival but specifically survival as it relates to the protection of food stores and bee larva. Bees that you see visiting flowers are not a threat to you. They don’t hardly see you in fact, they are so busy with their work and not really tasked with protecting the home. There are bees designated with in the colony to attack you as you come close but in the absence of bee larva and honey, bees won't normally be bothered by you, they have no reason to.
A new swarm/colony might be small, just starting, conserving its energy. But as spring approaches you will notice more activity and more activity means more honey and more bee larva, a larger colony and all of which will trigger the honeybees defense mechanism. Be on the lookout!
All bees will attack you; all bees will defend their colony. The difference is a domesticated group of bees we'll attack you but as soon as you step off, they step off and mind their own business. They're used to the relationship between bee and beekeeper; They have a “You don't bother me and I don't bother you” attitude. African killer bees have a different point of view. Their response to threats is more primal, having bypassed the thousands of years of domestication history and displaying their native roots, much like wolves. The white wolf is the mother of all dogs, but the personality and habits of a domesticated dog compared to a wolf will reveal an incredible set of new traits introduced and manipulated by people through time.
African Killer Bees will attack you and they continue to attack you even when you step away, walk away, run away. A killer bee attack looks like something from an old cartoon, a big cloud of bees that follows you down the road and chases you into your car or a lake or wherever you got to go to get away from them, if you get away from them.
How to check for bees
Its not hard to check for bee occupation on your property. Wait till midday when it is warm, you'll see more activity when it is warm because there are less bees necessary to stay home and keep the larva warm and covered. Walk slowly around your house looking for holes and cracks where bees might go in. Look from the base of the wall to the top of the soffit and fascia of your house. Look for activity. Bees are very energetic and committed to nectar gathering. A bee colony will look like a busy airport with bees coming and going. It's best to have somebody with a bee suit take it from there. Note the location and the height off the ground, the bee removal company will need to know. Use the telephoto on your phone to take a photo from a safe distance and share this with them.
Not everyone in the pest control industry wants to mess with bees. Some pest control companies don't want to kill bees while others just don't want to deal with stinging insects plus most companies don't want to open structures and remove honeycombs let alone do a live removal and relocation of honeybees. If you choose live bee removal, you're more likely to find somebody who is not only skilled with dealing with all kinds of bees including killer bees but someone who is likely to remove the honeycomb and keep you from getting bees back again. Bee reinfestation is your biggest consideration right after assessing whether they are killer bees. A fully suited beekeeper or professional bee removal technician will decide what kind of bees you have. It's not rocket science, just banging on the wall will reveal whether you've got regular or killer bees in just a few moments. The air will be filled with crazy angry bees if it works out that you are unlucky enough to have killer bees on your property. At that point you will be advised to stay away from the area until the removal has been completed and the situation under control.