CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Bee stings are painful enough, but a swarm attack can be deadly.
Ricky Sanchez has been removing bees for a living for 15 years. He usually receives three to four calls a day to get rid of beehives from houses around South Texas. However, in the month of May, he’s gotten double the usual amount.
The weather has caused the rise in bee hives and attacks.
"It’s been raining and raining. The plants are growing and the flowers are blooming. The bees want the nectar from the flowers, so they’re going crazy trying to collect all this nectar. It’s a chain reaction," Sanchez said.
The spike isn't just in any type of bees. It's in Africanized bees, a species that lives underneath trailer houses, around house roofs and water sources.
"There’s a big difference between the regular European (or) Italian bees and the Africanized bees," Sanchez said. "The Africanized bees are not just going to shoo you away. They’re there to kill you. They want to kill you. They will chase you for up to five miles. If you’re by a pool, they’ll sit there and wait for you to come up for air."
Bee keepers wear white because it’s a non aggressive color and will not trigger bees to attack.
It’s recommended to stay away from wearing black because bees will confuse it for a bear, which is their biggest enemy.
"The bees will think to get him before he gets us (and) sting him in the face," Sanchez said. "You never see a bee attack a foot. They know that the face is the sensitive spot. They’ll sting you in the eyes, up your nose, down your throat and in your ears just to get you away from them."
Bees will not be going away anytime soon, but people can be prepared and know what to do if attacked.
"You can either take a bunch of Benadryl or carry an Epipen and give yourself a shot on the leg. That will at least give you time to get to a hospital," Sanchez said.
In other words, when it comes to bees, remember the three golden rules this summer: bee smart, bee cautious and bee on guard.
For bee removal services in South Texas, call Ricky Sanchez at 361-222-1344 or click on the website link here.
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