Killer bees. (Phoenix: how much, home, landscaping)

[sarahdogirl]

How much of a "problem" are killer bees in the Phoenix area? The internet is full of news stories about attacks, and most recently, I heard of pedestrians in Phoenix being swarmed.

Are the bees a day to day nuisance, or do you rarely see a bee? I have a son with a bee allergy, and really, really do not know if Phoenix should be excluded as a possible re-location destination due to the bees. In every other aspect, the Phoenix area is ideal for us. I went to school at ASU back in the early '90s and don't recall ever seeing a bee.

I would appreciate any insight, thank you!

[Ponderosa]

Everywhere has bees. Without bees there are no trees, no flowers, no food and maybe no life. So yes, there are bees around here. You will see them if you look. They are going about their business and not bothering you or you them and all is fine. In spring, bees swarm and establish new colonies. This is where they are trouble. If you mess with a hive or they think you are messing with their hive, they come after you. The killer bee has a low threshold of tolerance. Every year there are one or more people who get attacked when they mess with a hive (getting too close can be enough) or a big swarm of them in a tree or on the side of a house. BUT, there are 4 million people here and a couple of run ins out of all those people is very, very low odds. Keep an eye out for them (the hives or swarms) in April and May and call for a professional if you happen to find one. It is highly unlikely that you will.

[azriverfan.]

https://www.city-data.com/forum/phoen...r-bees-oh.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/phoen...have-bees.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/phoen...out-there.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/phoen...ller-bees.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/phoen...4979-bees.html

[azdr0710]

there's a small chance you'll see a thick swarm of bees hovering near a building somewhere or out in the open...that's probably their hive area and you should stay away.....

so-called "killer bees" are no more dangerous (sting-wise) than the old-fashioned bees...they are simply just a little more aggressive than the old ones...and their genetics has been so diluted over the years, anyway....

if you do seem to have walked into an area of bees and they're hovering around you and seem to be getting more numerous, you'll have to run for at least a quarter-mile or so to lose them, experts say

keep an eye out and don't worry

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by sarahdogirl

How much of a "problem" are killer bees in the Phoenix area? The internet is full of news stories about attacks, and most recently, I heard of pedestrians in Phoenix being swarmed.

Are the bees a day to day nuisance, or do you rarely see a bee? I have a son with a bee allergy, and really, really do not know if Phoenix should be excluded as a possible re-location destination due to the bees. In every other aspect, the Phoenix area is ideal for us. I went to school at ASU back in the early '90s and don't recall ever seeing a bee.

I would appreciate any insight, thank you!

Your son will have to carry the same precautions he would if he lived anywhere. If he has a bee allergy then you need to have an Epi-pen readily available and both you and your son have to know how to use one. Let's put it this way, I would much rather have a bee allergy than a peanut, milk, or shell fish allergy. Your son will be fine. The dry heat protects against bees hence the reason you don't see a lot of bees and flying insects relative to other cities. Let's put it this way, I haven't seen a bee in 3 years here. I'm serious. I know they are around but you don't see them here in casual places like the trash cans outside the mall like you do in other cities.

[LBTRS]

Lived here for three years and have bees in my yard for my citrus trees and flowers but have never seen a killer bee that I know of. No more bees here than anywhere else I've lived. The bees, snakes, scorpions, etc. are a non-issue if you ask me.

[twiggy]

Moderator cut: previously orphaned post

We had wasps too but bees as well. Just a few everyday to get a drink off the deck after the water splashed out. I also found a couple of dead bees who fell into the pool everyday. Just a fact of life with a pool I think, it's hot, you have water. Didn't ever get me out of the pool and I have an allergy. I've had a swarm in the yard as well but it left within 2 hours of waiting it out. Found a couple of dead bees in my home afterwards, still no sting. yay
I would have never relocated because of bees. Not that big of a deal.

[sarahdogirl]

Thank you all.

The yellow jackets where we live now are quite prolific and aggressive, so I was concerned that the bees in AZ behaved in the same manner, yet were more dangerous to come into contact with on a daily basis...but it sounds like the bees in AZ are not "in your face" the same way as other types of wasps/bees in other cities. Here, they are as much as part of a picnic/swimming lessons/hike etc as the people are. The honey bees here keep to themselves and never present a problem/nuisance in any way to oudoor activities, so I hope the "killer bees" in AZ are much like that.

[Nanny Goat]

We had bees making a hive in our wall one summer. We got the bee guy, but they usually are not much of a problem. Even before the bee guy came, they were more just a nuisance than anything serious.

[Finger Laker]

I would take precaution with your landscaping - try to keep it more on the desert side of things and choose plants with flowers that may not be so prone to attracting them ..... bees love my honeysuckle for example and I usually have a few bees in my yard when the thing is flowering (which is pretty consistent) ...... they aren't aggessive though, I can sit on our retaining wall next to the plant and not have an issue ..... not like the yellowjackets and wasps I would run into back in NY

there are occasional swarms out here ... i know there were a couple weeks a couple summers back where north phoenix was having a problem with killer bees .... but overall I wouldn't say it's something that keeps people up at night .... large metro with isolated incidents - but they tend to be well publicized because they are "killer bees" and the stigma that comes with that