So, RUN! And when you run Keep Running ! Africanized honey bees have been known to follow people for more than a quarter mile. Any covering for your body, and especially for your head and face will help you escape.
Try to get to an enclosed shelter (such as a car) or run until the bees stop following you. It may be necessary to get a quarter mile or more away from where the attack began. Cover your face with whatever is handy, if you can do so without impairing your vision. Never jump into a body of water to escape bees.
Run. If a colony of bees thinks you're a predator, it first sends out a few guard bees to warn you away by "head butting" you, according to a guide by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service's Saguaro National Park.
Killer bees are quicker to react to disturbances and they will chase an intruder more than a quarter mile for an attack. Known to kill horses, humans, and other large animals, killer bee victims receive 10 times more stings than victims of European honey bees.
Bees tend to work less than 200 metres from the hive, but can range up to more than 1.5 km away if necessary. Scout bees have the task of finding new nectar sources and head out to check all nearby vegetation.
The normal top speed of a worker would be about 15-20 mph (21-28 km/h), when flying to a food source, and about 12 mph (17 km/h), when returning laden down with nectar, pollen, propolis or water.
Bees are known to fly as far as 12 km (8 miles), but usually foraging is limited to food sources within 3 km. Approximately 75% of foraging bees fly within one kilometer while young field bees only fly within the first few hundred meters.
As a general rule, a person will not be able to out-run these aggressive bees. The killer bees have been known to chase victims over large distances, and can fly relatively fast. If you are attacked by killer bees, the most important thing to do is protect your face and run indoors or get into a vehicle.
Make sudden movements
Bees usually sting people for one of two reasons, and both of those reasons have to do with feeling threatened. They sting people who either wander too close to their nests… or startle them with sudden movements. If you see bees around you, try not to move too quickly.
So, RUN! And when you run Keep Running ! Africanized honey bees have been known to follow people for more than a quarter mile. Any covering for your body, and especially for your head and face will help you escape.
When humans or other animals are scared, we release the fear pheromone. Consequently, bees can smell these chemicals our bodies release. Individual bees that detect the fear pheromone communicate quickly to nearby bees about the threat. Bees defend their hive to protect their space.
Bees follow you because Sweat is sweet to bees.
Some bees are attracted to human sweat. Sounds gross, but it's true. These bees are usually metallic in color and rather small and harder to notice than their yellow and black counterparts. These bees can sting but aren't known for being aggressive towards humans.
Don't move her unless she is in harm's way or obvious to predators. Placing her on a nectar-rich flower or under the cover of leaves works best as the Bee Conservation instructs. Male bees can also be found resting late at night or early in the morning on flowers and covered in dew.
Using a smoker to calm bees
In reality, the smoke simply prevents bees from spreading 'alarm' pheromones and getting agitated. If your bees are acting aggressively, it can be an incredibly effective way to calm them down and reduce the risk of stings while you work.
Angry bees tend to zip quickly through the air, sometimes even bouncing off your veil. Extremely agitated bees will cluster around your head. They react to your carbon dioxide and tend to go towards your face. You may even see some cling to the mesh and press their abdomens into it in an attempt to sting.
Yes, bees can and will sting you through your clothes. You will be stung more easily through tight-fitting clothes or clothing items with very thin material. Thick, baggy clothing is the best way to avoid getting stung by bees.
Most of the time, bee sting symptoms are minor and include: Instant, sharp burning pain at the sting site. A red welt at the sting area. Slight swelling around the sting area.
Don't panic if you encounter a stationary swarm of bees. The bees will sting only if threatened. But keep your distance. Moving swarms can pose a higher sting risk, and should be avoided.
A bee can live for 18-114 hours after it has stung you, buzzing around your head angrily, continuing to do the colony's bidding even in the last hours of the bee's life. The presence of the alarm pheromone wherever the stinger is attached will continue to agitate the bees.
If the reason for their defensiveness is your actions, they usually calm down in a week or two. Sometimes quicker depending on how much you upset them. If the reason is the weather and the flow, they may be much better as soon as something new blooms. If the reason is their genetics, they won't get better...
During the active season, the lifetime of a worker is five to six weeks. Overwintering worker bees may, however, live for four to six months.
While there isn't one single answer to how long does a bee live for, the western honeybee worker lives for between 35 – 180 days based on several factors including season and location. Bumblebee workers live for less time in between 13-41 days.
It's safe to gently use a finger to stroke the bee. However, a bee's sudden movement may cause you to accidentally touch its bottom or stinger. It's easier to attempt petting male bumblebees rather than female ones. Male bees do not have stingers.