Editor’s note: Following the bee attack on an 83-year-old man in Cleburne, Texas, earlier this week, the following report and video outlines responses EMS personnel should take.
By EMS1 Staff
Cleburne Fire Chief Clint Ishmael said the behavior of the bees in Monday’s incident was indicative of an Africanized colony. The Africanized honeybee is a hybrid of one of several European honey bee subspecies and the African honeybee, according to the Africanized Honeybee Emergency Planning Guide by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
In 1956, a geneticist brought African queens to Brazil with the idea of developing a superior honeybee more suited to tropical conditions. Bees from 26 experimental stations interbred in the wild with European honeybees, resulting in Africanized offspring.
Moving northward, they have since spread throughout South America, Mexico and parts of the United States — including Texas.
“The Emergency Response to Africanized Honey Bees” video — produced by Bryan Bledsoe, BeeAlert and A Bear Productions — says if an EMS or fire crew is called to care for a victim of bee stings, it’s best to assume the offending insect is an Africanized honey bee.
| Victim Transport and Aid
Source: Emergency Planning Guide, Kansas Department of Agriculture |
Once the victim is evacuated, watch the area for live bees before loading the victim into the ambulance. Each agency must have an Africanized Honeybee Response Plan, particularly in areas where they are known to exist, it adds. The response plan should include a list of specialized responders such as local bee keepers, exterminators and entomologists.
Agencies should develop and maintain a “Do Not Deploy List” of personnel known to be allergic to bee stings — on-duty personnel with such documented allergies should not be responding to bee sting incidents.
Bunker gear, which affords fair protection against Africanized Honey Bees, can be improved by duct taping the interface areas of the gear. A protective bee hood is much better protection than typical EMS and fire helmets and face shields.
Wherever possible, the video explains, responses to an Africanized Honey Bee attack should include at least one ambulance and one piece of firefighting vehicle.
Africanized honey bees are a biological hazard, says the video, and many of the same principals of responding to a hazmat incident should apply. The goal is to avoid being stung. The appropriate response depends on the situation. View the video, above right, for full instructions on developing response plans and the different tactics involved in approaching Africanized honey bee incidents.