Here the AP article that appeared in our local paper about the Robstown AHB
incident. There was also an accompanying photo showing 4 beekeeping
officials dressed in full protective suits.
 
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Texas man survives an attack by 'killer bees'
 
A swarm from a vacant building stings him a thousand times in "the blink of
my eye."
 
  ROBSTOWN. Texas-The only hint of trouble Christopher Graves had was one
quick bee sting. Then he was covered from head to toe by "killer bees" that
stung him perhaps a thousand times.   The insects swarmed out of a vacant
building Tuesday as Graves was starting a lawnmower at his grandmother's
house.   "He didn't see them coming," his mother, Charnell Graves, said
from Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, where Graves was listed in serious
but stable condition Wednesday.   "When he started it up, one came and
stung him," Mrs. Graves said. "He said, 'In the next blink of my eye, I was
just covered."'   Graves was coherent Wednesday but his body was badly
swollen, his mother said.   "His back probably has 500 stings alone," she
said.
  "It was like a horror movie," said Fire Chief Julio Flores. He said
Graves was covered in bees from head to toe when firefighters got to him.
One of the firefighters, Ernest Gallegos, was stung about 30 times although
he was wearing heavy protective clothing.   His partner, Ricardo Gonzalez,
was stung about 10 times, a policeman directing traffic a mile away
reported he was stung and, at the hospital, bees still clinging to Graves'
clothes stung a nurse.   "I've been stung by bees before, but this was like
a nightmare. ' Gallegos said. "It's like someone coming after you with a
knife or a gun. You run for your life."   Authorities said the insects were
Africanized honeybees, which are more aggressive in defending their nests
than the European variety.
  Africanized or so-called killer bees migrated north after escaping from a
Brazilian apiary in 1956.   They first appeared in Texas in 1990,and the
first confirmed attack was in Texas the following year. The bees have also
been blamed for attacks in Arizona.   So far only two people in the United
States have been killed by killer bees, and both were in Texas.
 
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As a hobbiest beekeeper in Southern Calif (awaiting the arrival of the
AHB), I am interested in how we can use this bee-list to share information
onthe AHB.
 
AS the AHB continues to migrate along theSOuthern USA, there will probably
more sensationalistic reporting in the media along the lines of the above.
 
Are there any postive press releases that could be shared with local
communities to educate people on the AHB?  How are local and state AG
departments gearing up for this migration? Also, what are hobbiest
beekeepers like myself planning to do when confronted with AHB colonies?
 
BTW there is an interesting article in the August issue of BEE CULTURE,
entitled "The African Experience".  Is has given me some hope with regards
to the whole AHB issue.
 
Paul Cronshaw DC
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Santa Barbara, CA