Officials Prepare for Arrival of ‘Killer’ Bees

Orange County, already at the mercy of tiny invaders known as red fire ants, is now making preparations for a potential new threat: Africanized “killer” bees.

And, according to county officials, it’s not a matter of if they will come but when.

“They’re already in San Diego County and San Bernardino County and are in Indio,” said Rick Le Feuvre, county agricultural commissioner. “But they’re one hitchhiking incident away from the county.”

Le Feuvre and vector control officials this week unveiled an updated strategy to deal with the pesky insects. The plan, which goes before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, relies heavily on creating public awareness.

It’s an approach, copied from Mexico, that seeks to lessen human encounters with the aggressive Africanized honey bees by providing warnings and information to the public.

Le Feuvre and others have kept an eye on the bees’ northward trek from Brazil into the United States for years. So far, multiple sting incidents have been minimal, he said.

But an elderly Arizona woman died after an attack in 1995, and just last May the bees killed a pit bull in El Centro.

For several years, Orange County vector control employees have been involved in an education awareness campaign that includes talks at public schools advising children and teachers about the bees and what to do if stung.

Under the new plan, bee detection will be handled by the Orange County Vector Control District, which has been the lead agency in training, education and monitoring for the Africanized honey bees since they arrived in California four years ago.

Le Feuvre said fire departments will respond to stinging incidents, while bee swarms will be gathered for a fee by private pest control services.

But because of budget constraints, vector control employees will not be responsible for actually removing Africanized honey bees from homes, said Bob Sjojren, the vector control district’s manager.

Rather, residents who wish to have swarms removed will have to hire a private pest control operator who is certified specifically for Africanized bees. Orange County already has about 50 such operators.

Officials said it would cost up to $800,000 per year to have vector control officials remove the bees--something that could be funded only through a tax hike.

In contrast, the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, one of five agencies in Los Angeles County handling vector control, has several trucks already labeled “Africanized Honey Bee Suppression Units” and is ready to respond to residential complaints.

“As soon as the Africanized bees are declared colonized in Los Angeles County, we plan to respond on a seven-day-a-week basis during daylight hours,” said Jack Hazelrigg, the district’s manager.

As for the exact time of entry by the Africanized bees into Orange County, it’s anyone’s guess, Sjojren said. Officials had predicted they would arrive in 1996, and theories abound as to why they’re not here yet.

Even if they arrived in the county today, officials contend it could take several years before Africanized bees stage a multiple stinging attack.