Citronella and Killer bees ~ Africanized & European attacks

[Marv Walker <Marv@MarvWalker.com>]

> >If you are attacked cover your head and curl up on the ground.
>
>
>
>If you do this, you will be dead.   Period.

I was going to reply to this but I see someone has beat me to it.

As a former beekeeper (150+ hives) and a honey conessiuer, connessuer,
ah heck, honey collector (no two honies have the same flavor unless
crops are bulked together from an area year after year), I can attest that
distance is your ONLY defense against bee attacks.

When you are stung, the bee leaves an alarm targeting pheremone that draws
the remainder of the bees to the enemy.  As one who has been mobbed a
few times I can tell you that it is easily smelled by the victim.  It 
smells like
banana oil. The bees can smell it a LOT better.

The sting of an Africanized bee is no worse than that of a European bee.  The
problem lies in the sheer volume of Africanized stings one receives during an
attack.

If one can get to water deep enough to get under it one may be able to end the
attack by staying under as long as possible, surfacing only long enough 
replenish
and then submerging again.  The bees won't stay around long if there is no
attacker in sight.  However, one is not likely to find water enough when 
attacked.

Again, the wisest defense against bees is a rapid retreat.

Marv "I was once stung so many times I couldn't turn my head.  Two days 
later I
could spin it like Linda Blair." Walker