8/1/2007

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently warned that the rapid growth in the presence of Africanized honey bees (“killer bees”) in the United States poses potential occupational health and safety threats. Africanized honey bees are more aggressive than the European honey bees normally found in America. While the sting of an Africanized honey bee is no more harmful, they aggressively protect their nests, attack with less provocation, and attack in large numbers.

Attacks by Africanized honey bees have been reported in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. Africanized bees have been found in California from mid-state south. ASSE recommends the following practices in order to protect from injuries caused by Africanized honey bees:

• Before using power equipment such as lawn mowers, weed eaters, and chain saws or other equipment that produces sound vibrations or loud noises, examine work areas for signs of bees (sound vibrations and noise can excite the bees).
• Check sheds and outbuildings for bees before entering. Contact a bee keeper or pest control contractor to remove hives.
• Avoid wearing scented products (cologne, perfume, etc.) when working outdoors.
• If attacked, employees should be instructed to run quickly to a sheltered area (a truck or car, for example). Africanized honey bees have been known to pursue people up to a quarter mile during an attack.
• Since it's difficult to tell the difference between Africanized honey bees and the more docile European honey bees, if bees are encountered regularly in the course of an employee's work, provide them with appropriate PPE—a full-length bee suit, protective veils, hat and gloves—that they can put on when they have to work in an area where bees are present.

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