Bee Safety
Preventing Bee Stings:
• Stay away from honeybee colonies: This is the #1 rule to keeping safe. Bees make hives in hollow trees, walls, or any kind of open cavity. Watch out for bees flying in and out of an entrance or opening, listen for buzzing sounds, and look for large numbers of bees-this may indicate there is a colony nearby.
• Avoid Disturbing Hives: If you locate what you think may be a hive, don’t go near the beehives or nests. Keep children and pets away as well.
• Wear Protective Clothing: Opt for light-colored, smooth clothing and consider a bee suit if you’ll be working near bees.
• 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. Be observant of increased bee activity while running machinery.
• Be Calm and Slow: If you see bees and they are not yet aggressive, move slowly and calmly. Avoid swiping at them ormakingsuddenmovements, as this can provoke them.
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 the 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.
• 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.
Once you are away from the bees:
• Once you are away from the bees, take a second and evaluate the situation. If you have been stung more than 15 times, or if you are having any symptoms other than local pain and swelling, seek medical attention immediately. If you see someone else being stung or think others are in danger, call 911 immediately.
• Remove all the stingers. When a honeybee stings, it leaves its stinger in the skin. This kills the honeybee so it can’t sting again, but it also means that venom continues to enter 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.
• Many of the safety measures we have just reviewed would be difficult to apply under the excitement of an emergency situation if you have not mentally prepared yourself ahead of time. Most people taking part in normal outdoor activities do not have to go to any extraordinary lengths to be prepared, just keep in mind where you would go to escape honeybees and be on the lookout for danger.
Honeybees are very important pollinators and are vital to our food supply and existence. Most honeybees are safe and not aggressive if you do not disturb their hive. Being alert to your surroundings can help prevent bee attacks