‘Killer Bees’ Found in Hive at Residence
Africanized honeybees, also known as “killer bees” because of their aggressiveness, have been found at a home in West Covina, officials said.
A local resident found a hive on Jan. 25 and called a beekeeper to remove it, said Kenn Fujioka, assistant manager of the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.
The beekeeper noticed that the bees appeared smaller than common European honeybees and called county officials, who sent some specimens to state agricultural offices to be analyzed. Last week, they were determined to be Africanized.
Fujioka said the entire county will be infested by the end of the year.
“Nobody can get rid of them,” he said. “They’re here to stay. People need to be aware but there’s no reason to be hysterical about it.”
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