U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Carl Hayden Bee Research Center: Tucson, AZ
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Information
                        Africanized Honey Bees
                                    Bee Safety
                                    Online Books
                                    Other NewsSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Pacific West Area Tucson, Arizona Carl Hayden Bee Research Center Docs Bee Safety





- Bee Safety
- Bee Stings 101
- Preventing On-Site Bees

**Stay away from honey bee colonies.**Honey bees nest in a wide variety of locations, such as pipes, holes, animal burrows or even in cavities within saguaro cacti or trees. Be alert. Bees living in an established colony will make a “beeline” for the entrance - flying in and out of an opening in a very regular pattern. Listen for buzzing sounds. Be especially alert when climbing, because honey bees often nest under rocks or within rock crevices. Don't put your hands where you can't see them. Not all honey bees you see are a potential threat. Honey bees often visit campsites for water or sweets (especially soda containers) or may be seen visiting flowers for nectar. Bees gathering food or water are called "foraging" bees. As long as they are away from the nest, honey bees are not overly defensive. They will only sting if stepped on or trapped in some way. However, a large number of honey bees foraging in one area may indicate a colony is nearby. If you intend to camp in the area, look around for the colony first. If you know you are allergic to bee stings, always have someone else with you when doing outdoor activities. **If you find a colony of bees, leave them alone and keep others away.**Do not shoot, throw rocks at, try to burn or otherwise disturb the bees. Do not attempt to control them with aerosol sprays. If the colony is near a trail or near areas frequently used by humans, notify your local Forest Service, Game and Fish Department or Parks and Recreation Department.  Honey bee colonies vary in behavior over time, especially with changes in age and season. You may pass the same colony for weeks, and then one day provoke them unexpectedly.**Don't**EVER disturb or tease bees, and do not try to remove bees yourself. **Wear appropriate clothing.**When hiking in the wilderness, wear light-colored clothing. Honeybees may be aggravated by textures and colors that resemble the characteristics of their natural predators (such as bears and skunks). When they defend their nests, Honey bees will target dark, leathery, or furry objects and will attack the most sensitive areas including the eyes, ears, and nose. **Avoid wearing scents of any sort when hiking or working outside.** Honey bees communicate with one another using pheromones (scents) and are quite sensitive to odors. Avoid strongly scented shampoo, soaps, and perfumes. Citrus odors are also known to aggravate honeybees. **Be particularly careful when using any machinery that produces sound vibrations or loud noises.**Bees are alarmed by the vibration and/or loud noises produced by equipment such as chain saws, weed eaters, lawn mowers, tractors or electric generators. Again, check your environment before you begin operating noisy equipment. **Pet safety.** When hiking it is best to keep your dog on a leash or under close control. An animal bounding through the brush is likely to disturb a colony and be attacked. When the animal returns to its owner, it will bring the attacking bees with it. If your animals or pets are being stung, follow the above mentioned procedures of finding shelter, and covering vulnerable areas.**Don't**pen, tie, or tether animals near known bee hives or nests. Keep animals away from apiaries and bee nests.  **Remember these important steps if you encounter aggressive bees:** RUN away quickly. Do not stop to help others. Small children and the disabled may need some assistance.As you are running, pull your shirt up over your head or use your arms to protect your face. This will help keep the bees from targeting the sensitive areas around your eyes, nose and ears.
Do not swat at the bees or flail your arms. Bees are  aggravated by movement and crushed bees emit a smell that will attract more bees.
Continue to RUN towards an enclosed shelter, such as a vehicle or building. A few bees may follow you indoors but they will attempt to fly to windows. Running to dark or shady spots may help to confuse the bees. Do not jump into water. The bees will wait for you to come up for air. If you are trapped for some reason, cover up with blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, or whatever else is immediately available.
Once you have reached shelter or outrun the bees, remove all stingers. When a honey bee stings, it leaves its stinger in the skin. This kills the honey bee so it can't sting again, but it also means that venom continues to enter into the wound for a short time.Do not pull stingers out with tweezers or your fingers. This will only squeeze more venom into the wound. Instead, scrape the stinger out sideways using your fingernail, the edge of a credit card, a dull knife blade or other straight-edged object.
If you see someone being attacked by bees, encourage them to run away or seek shelter. Do not attempt to rescue them yourself. Call 911 to report a serious stinging attack. The emergency response personnel in your area have probably been trained to handle bee attacks.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov