Bee swarm on Cozumel

[Kimela]

Moderators - feel free to change the title of this post if it's too inflammatory - I don't mean to scare anyone away from Cozumel.

Two folks who walk their dogs were attacked by a swarm of bees between the car ferry and Hotel Cozumel - they finally escaped them by getting completely submerged in the water, but not before both humans were stung, one dog was stung 30-40 times and the other was stung a 'couple hundred' times. This doesn't happen often, but I thought it worth mentioning and posting this article about how to minimize the damage. I originally saw the post in the Cozumel 4 You facebook group. One person mentioned that in summer months the bees can become displaced - I have no idea if this is true or not - and may be more aggressive. Also, if they are Africanized they will be more aggressive, and it's nearly impossible to tell which kind of bee they are by looking at them (I'm not going to try to distinguish them as I run away!).

We've seen these folks walking their dogs before - they have two shepherds, a black one and a brown/black (beautiful dogs). Hoping all recover well from this incident.

What to do in a bee attack: 5 things you need to know

There have been two horrifying bee attack incidents in New Hampshire and California this week.

abcnews.go.com

 

[ReefHound]

I saw that too. Hard to imagine such a persistent swarm in that area and nobody else saw it or these bees haven't bothered anyone else.

 

[SATurner]

I dabled in beekeeping for two years. Turns out, I was a bee haver not a beekeeper.

The article linked above has some truths in it, but more importantly, a lot of exaggerations too.

Yes, the guard bees will bump you. Bees don't want to sting as it kills them due to the stinger being ripped out of them. They will try hard to warn you before they actually sting. Bees only sting once. Male bees do NOT sting (no stinger). A queen bee could sting repeatedly due to not having a barbed stinger, but they are typically deep within the hive or swarm.

Once stung, there are pheromones that will attract others to the sting site. Cover the site with your hand. Even better put smoke on it.

Contrary to belief, smoke isn't calming to bees. It FREAKS them out. They think a wildfire is headed their way and frantically rush to try to save what they can leaving beekeepers alone.

Swarms typically are docile and here's why. They have swarmed to find a new home, so they packed up all their supplies (honey) and left the hive and are on a journey to a new hive they already have scouted out. Think of a cross country move in your moving truck. It will take a stop or two to rest to continue the journey. Bees do the same.

Yes, there are africanized (aka killer) bees. Their aggressiveness is the difference. They are quicker to sting and keep you farther from their hives by being aggressive. The "killer" part is due to the abundance of stings that occur and the stung organism not being able to handle that stinger load.

So, hate to hear someone was chased by a swarm, chances are it might not have been a swarm, but instead a colony trying to defend itself...so likely hundreds not thousands of bees.

A final factoid, a single bee creates 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in it's lifespan of about a month and literally wears itself out doing so. We need them, without them 1/3 of our food would disappear. Bee kind.

 

[SATurner]

Forgot to add, the part about not flailing was sound advice. Think of a grumpy bear tearing open a hive. Bees are reacting to that type of movement similar to a chase response in big cats. Best to move calmly, but promptly, away.

What I learned when I had them was that pretty much everything I thought I knew was wrong. The Seinfeld Bee movie is fairly accurate EXCEPT, it is the female bees that work not the males. There is nothing more calming and yet at the same time freakishly scary about opening up a hive to inspect it. Wish I could have kept them, but they always left and found better places.

 

[Kimela]

Yeah, I don't know what constitutes a 'swarm' or if this was a swarm. No idea what disturbed them. I've seen these folks walking their dogs a number of times. The spot where the bees hit them is the middle of nowhere - no structures on the road, just the wall and then foliage and the rocks and ocean. No telling where these bees were holed up or if they were looking for new digs. One time Roger hit a nest of bees (or some stinging things) in the grass when mowing. Animals/critters do 'what they want'.

 

[ggunn]

One time Roger hit a nest of bees (or some stinging things) in the grass when mowing.

Some kind of hornet, most likely.

 

[ggunn]

El Graduado (sp?) got attacked by some Africanized bees a few years ago on Cozumel; he posted an account of the incident in here.

 

[DandyDon]

El Graduado (sp?) got attacked by some Africanized bees a few years ago on Cozumel; he posted an account of the incident in here.

Maybe. I looked over Search hits here for over 10 years, found where you and others said so but never found his report. There were threads about bee attacks in 2015 & 2018...

Mean Bees on Island

Since they originated in South America, then migrated to North America long ago, I'm surprised we hadn't heard about them on the peninsula before - but I guess I missed the earlier events... Family and one rescuer hospitalized, pets killed, bad day in paradise: Killer Bees Attack in Cozumel -...

scubaboard.com

Be mindful of bees...

A post from TA today (perhaps someone can confirm). Yesterday Africanized bees attacked a group of about 30 people who were visiting the Mansion de Paz cemetery in Cozumel, stinging them repeatedly. A taxi driver friend who was waiting nearby told me he never saw so many bees and was really...

scubaboard.com

 

[mediumone]

El Graduado (sp?) got attacked by some Africanized bees a few years ago on Cozumel; he posted an account of the incident in here.

Maybe. I looked over Search hits here for over 10 years, found where you and others said so but never found his report. There were threads about bee attacks in 2015 & 2018...

Yes, I remember his story as well.
My best guess would be about 5 - 7 years ago

 

[DandyDon]

Yes, I remember his story as well.
My best guess would be about 5 - 7 years ago

Found it. Is was almost nine years ago and well hidden on post #350 in a thread entitled "Worst of Cozumel" This link will take you to his very descriptive post...

Worst of Cozumel.

Orinoco Flow is a Celtic Women standard. I didn't watch past the first song. Regardless, that performance was Enya.

scubaboard.com