Are honey bees dangerous?

Generally speaking, honey bees are not dangerous unless they feel their hives are threatened by an intruder. Pollinators, unlike predators such as yellowjackets who can sting a victim multiple times, honey bees sting as a last-ditch effort to stop an intruder. When honey bees sting, they are sacrificing their lives for the good of the hive as they can’t remove their barbed stingers from an intruder without also ripping off part of their digestive tract, plus muscles and nerves.

For some sensitive people, honey bee stings can cause a severe allergic reaction, as severe as anaphylactic shock and victims should seek medical attention immediately should they begin to feel ill. While honey bees don’t usually bother other animals and are respected on farms for their essential pollination activity, some farmers in recent years have reported honey bees displaying aggressive behavior, such as bumping into other farm animals and people. This behavior leads scientists to believe that all feral bees in America have become Africanized. In the mid-1950s, aggressive Africanized honey bees escaped from a lab in Brazil and have been spreading out since then. As temperatures warm, Africanized bees have been able to move North, leading researchers to believe that these now-aggressive bees are a concern.

If honey bees build their hives too close for comfort in an outdoor area of your home, it is important to avoid trying to remove them yourself. Contact a beekeeper or a professional pest control company, such as Pestwise to discuss safe beehive removal in Clearwater. With almost 10 years of pest control experience, Pestwise is prepared to assist you with any pest control needs.