States brace for killer bees

Experts say the "killer bees" like those that killed a South Georgia man in October could migrate as far north as Atlanta and even make seasonal visits to Tennessee.

Tennessee officials already are preparing emergency responders in case the swarms head north.

"We're literally dealing with a new species in a new area, and we don't know how far up they are coming," said Bill Owens, a master craftsman beekeeper in Monroe, Ga., and a spokesman for the Georgia Beekeepers Association.

On Oct. 11, 73-year-old Curtis Davis was killed in Dougherty County near Albany, Ga., after he accidentally disturbed a colony of Africanized honeybees and was stung more than 100 times, according to The Associated Press. State Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin issued a statement saying the incident was the first record of the so-called killer bees in Georgia.

Tennessee state bee expert Mike Studer said he and others are putting together training for emergency responders in the Volunteer State. He said he doesn't think the killer bees could form permanent colonies because of Tennessee's cold winters, but it is possible they could migrate north seasonally.

"Kind of like a wave, they would come up in the summer and leave in the winter," Studer said.

Keith Delaplane, a bee expert with the University of Georgia, issued a statement saying he believes the Dougherty County attack was "an isolated incident and (the bees) are not established in the state."

Delaplane explained that killer bees are the result of an experiment in Brazil more than 50 years ago. Scientists cross-bred the more-docile European honeybees common across the United States with their African cousins. The Africanized honeybees have been present in the United States since October 1990 and have been confirmed in Florida since 2005.

While physically similar to European bees, the African variety is "extremely defensive and responds with a massive stinging reaction with little provocation," Delaplane wrote. The venom is the same, but they overwhelm their victims by sheer quantity of stings.

"If they're African, they will follow you in great number; they're all going to come after you," said Studer, who said he had seen cases in which the bees chased people for a mile and hovered above lakes waiting for people to surface.

Owens said "it wasn't a surprise at all" that the bees were found in the Peach State. It was only a matter of time after they were discovered in Florida, he said.

While the bees' natural spread eventually may bring them north, Owens and Studer are more immediately concerned about a hive being transported by cargo trucks or vehicles.

Three weeks ago, Studer was contacted about an aggressive swarm on a cargo truck in Knoxville. The bees were killed and tested, but turned out to be European.

"We are looking for it," he said.

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