Many serious stinging incidents have resulted in life-threatening injury and death. Though their venom is no more potent than that of our native European honey bee, Africanized bees respond in greater numbers and pursue intruders for greater distances. Also, disturbed colonies may remain agitated for as long as 24 hours, attacking perceived threats up to a quarter mile from the hive. Any person or animal in the patrolled area is vulnerable. Africanized bees may respond aggressively to everyday occurrences such as vibrations generated by passing vehicles, power equipment, and even foot traffic.
Pheromones are chemicals produced by animals allowing individuals of a species to communicate.
A single honey bee sting can yield almost 0.1 mg of venom and it is widely accepted 500 or more stings can be life threatening to an adult. Remove stingers as quickly as possible to lessen the amount of venom entering the body. Stingers should be scraped off the skin with a blunt knife or the edge of a plastic credit card. Attempting to remove bee stingers with fingers or a pair of tweezers only forces any remaining toxin within the venom sac into the victim's body. Serious human injury can be avoided if the habits of Africanized bees are learned and precautions taken.