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ARS Home Pacific West Area Tucson, Arizona Carl Hayden Bee Research Center Docs Africanized Honey Bees





- Africanized Honey Bee Overview
- Firefighters and Rescue Personnel
- Safety Precautions for Schools
- Africanized Bee Identification

A Guide for Firefighters and Rescue Personnel **Protective Clothing**Conventional firefighting gear protects all areas of the body except the head and neck.For full protection, veils must be adapted for use with appropriate headgear. Bee veilsare available from beekeeping supply houses. Mosquito veils are also acceptable andcan be obtained from military surplus and sporting goods stores. The veil may be furthersealed using duct tape. Tape should also be used around the wrists and ankles, oranywhere else where there may be gaps in protective clothing. Heavy duty plastic,rubber, or leather gloves are recommended.Disposable hazmat suits such as those made of Chemrel R, Saranex R or Tyvek R,provide good protection, especially if worn over street clothing or uniforms.**Wetting Agents**Bees are easily immobilized and killed by wetting agents (surfactants) - includingcommercial liquid dishwashing detergent, non-foaming fire control chemicals and firefighting foams with surfactant characteristics such as the aqueous film-foams (AFFF).Not all commercially available products have been tested, but most such wetting agentsshould be equally effective. Original Palmolive dishwashing liquid, 9-55 R fire controlchemical, Silv-ex R foam concentrate and FC-600 Light Water brand ATC/AFFF have allbeen tested and approved for use. A one percent solution was sufficient to immediatelyimmobilize honey bees and kill them quickly.As with any chemical use, human and animal safety must be the most importantconsideration.**Victim Rescue**After arriving at a site, rescue personnel should first assess the situation from withintheir vehicles. Then they should retreat several hundred yards, put on protectiveclothing and move any onlookers to a safe distance.For victim rescue, an adequate insect barrier must be established and honeybee alarmpheromone must be neutralized. Fire and rescue units responding with standard firefighting equipment can quickly accomplish both objectives by using water plus anon-toxic wetting agent.Using standard firefighting procedures, set up a line capable of delivering a one to threepercent spray of foaming/wetting agent with a nozzle capable of delivering a wide fanpattern. A light application to the victim will stop the attack by most of the bees on ornear the victim within 60 seconds. The bees will be immobilized and can be quicklybrushed aside.If an obvious line of insect flight can be determined, a vertical wall of spray 20 to 30 feetin the air should intercept further flight activity. Alternatively, the nozzle can be invertednear the victim to provide a curtain of safety.Rescue workers wearing proper protective gear can then carry the victim into a house,van or ambulance for treatment and transport. Protective gear must remain in place asangry bees may follow.In a house, bees will be attracted to the windows. They can be collected in a vacuum. Ina rescue vehicle, drive away and roll down the windows.**Sting Removal**Once the victim is protected, remove stings as quickly as possible. Removing outergarments may help as stings embedded through the fabric will be dislodged in theprocess.The best way to remove stings is to scrape them away with a fingernail, credit card orsimilar instrument. Never pinch, tweeze or otherwise attempt to pull the stingers out, asmore venom may be injected. The victim may be soothed by cold compresses.Antihistamines or epinephrine may be administered by medical personnel.Rescuers should launder all protective equipment to remove any remaining alarmpheromones.**Training**Fire and rescue personnel should familiarize themselves with normal activities ofstinging insects in their area. Local beekeepers can provide extremely valuable adviceand assistance. Fire and rescue personnel are advised to establish relationships withthe local beekeeping club to better strengthen their knowledge and skills in handlingstinging incidents.


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