The Northern California town of Concord has been under attack by a swarm of killer bees that has placed people in the hospital and is suspected of also causing the death of two dogs.
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Calling the swarm “off the charts aggressive”, Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association member Norman Lott tells KRON 4 that they will be putting out a temporary hive with pheromone bait to lure the bees away.
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Nothing can be done about the bees until night, Blakely said, because they tend to fly around in the daylight but only retreat to their colony at night.
Residents of a nearby home said they believe the bees killed their two dogs, he said.
Concord police Capt. Chris Blakely said the problem was first reported Friday when Arthur Janke, an amateur beekeeper, went to check on his backyard hives and bees attacked him.
When on her delivery route, several residents had to run to a mail carriers aid when she was attacked and stung by the bees. “The bees would be all over people”.
“Probably 6, 7, 8, 9, (times)” said Malley, as he was stung again.
The bees, which Lott said the swarms comprised of are possibly Africanized honeybees, which is a subspecies known as killer bees and would have migrated north from South America. “It’s not a big deal”. He later learned that the hobbyist beekeeper had removed the problem hive, which left the aggressive bees roaming the neighborhood with nowhere to go.
Streets were not closed in the area, but drivers still were urged by police to keep their windows up. That wouldn’t take place until nightfall, when the bees come together for warmth, Blakely said.
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Lott intends to prove his hunch about the bees being Africanized honeybees by testing the sample DNA that he collected from some of the bees. But residents are being advised to steer clear of the area around Hitchcock Drive and Court Lane.
