Conferees Discuss ‘Killer’ Bee Quarantine Sites and Emergency Services

Agriculture officials from California, Texas and Arizona discussed plans Thursday to quarantine sites of initial swarms of Africanized honey bees and prepare emergency services in cases of massive stinging attacks if or when the bees arrive to stay.

Task forces to handle the anticipated northward migration of Africanized bees into the United States--as early as next spring, some say--are determining how each state’s agencies and departments should react.

Conferees at a symposium that ended Thursday in Mission Valley continued to debate what impact the so-called “killer” bees might have in the more temperate climates found in the United States. Africanized bees prefer tropical to subtropical climes.

California has already been given the go-ahead by Gov. George Deukmejian to appoint a task force to study the impact of the bees headed by the Department of Food and Agriculture, said Len Foote, control and eradication chief of the Department of Food and Agriculture.

Jeopardizing Honey Industry

The migration of the bees into California would jeopardize the $18-million annual business of the honey industry, as well as result in loss of livestock and small animals caused by mass stinging by the bees if precautionary steps are not taken, conferees said.

Much of the infrastructure for the task forces, though, is already in place.

“California is prepared to deal with Africanized honey bees which arrive in advance of the migratory front,” Foote said. Baited hive traps have been set at ports along California’s coast to trap any swarms that might come over by ship, he said.

A joint San Diego and Imperial counties task force should be in place by October.

Approval for a Texas Africanized Honey Bee Management Plan is expected soon, said John Thomas, an entomologist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The Texas plan, which the other states have followed in slightly modified versions, stresses rapid detection and eradication of the isolated Africanized colonies that are likely to precede the bees’ main migratory population.

Establishing Quarantine Zone

Once an Africanized colony has been identified, a 150-mile quarantine zone around the area will be established, Thomas said. Conferees could not agree on what methods would be most effective in handling the pest, if or when it becomes well-established.

Two contingency plans in combatting the insect have emerged. One idea is to destroy all feral, or non-commercial, bee colonies. Proponents of destroying these “wild” bee colonies say it is necessary because the colonies’ domestic European bees are easily overtaken by the Africanized strain.

But some experts say that destroying all wild beehives is unrealistic. Authorities are bound to miss some.

Bees “can nest just about anywhere,” said Ivan Shields, director of the Arizona Commission of Agriculture and Horticulture. “If that’s happening now, it’s certainly going to happen with the Africanized variety, probably even more so.”

Mating Queens With Drones

Another idea is to continuously repopulate colonies with the European variety of queens. The Texas plan requests funding for research into mating the European queens with European drones under controlled conditions, Thomas said.

Under natural conditions, honey bees always mate in flight. The Africanized drones, faster than their European counterparts, are generally more successful in mating with a European queen. Previous, unsuccessful attempts at controlled mating were conducted in cages or closed rooms with little or no regard to flight behavior.

Researchers are looking into designing a wind tunnel to simulate natural conditions for free-flying mating. If successful, such a wind tunnel could be used for large-scale production of “pure” European honey bee queens. What is not certain is how effective this method might be in combatting feral Africanized colonies.

One of the more intriguing problems posed by the bee is liability in the event of a stinging death. Under current laws, commercial bees--those handled by beekeepers for apiary products--are classified as domestic animals, according to Ivar Leetma, a San Diego attorney specializing in environmental issues. Those laws may change with the advent of Africanized bees, Leetma said. Governmental agencies could be held liable if signs warning of the danger of the bees are not placed in public parks or other open areas where a stinging death might occur, he said.