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How much space do you give the bees?

Original Post
Mike K · · Ridgway, CO · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 110

I'm Minnesota but am in Phoenix for work for a month and have been doing lots of hiking and climbing. Today while scrambling around the side of the crag on Outlook Mountain in Phoenix to setup a top rope I came face to face with a horribly busy hive that I scrambled almost right on top of. With the recent attacks and deaths I've heard of I made a speedy retreat, stumbling my way down as fast as I could scared to death. I would've rather it been a rattler I stumbled upon.

Not being familiar with these bees, is it over-reacting to be so afraid of them or is it common practice to stay as far away as possible from them?

LeeAB Brinckerhoff · · Austin, TX · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 10,288

I would say that even a single bee from an aggressive hive could lead to a swarm best to give them lots of space. That said, they are not out looking for you so if you stay away from them...

Ellenore Zimmerman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2013 · Points: 75

leave the bees alone, run far and fast! if its a popular crag called exterminators.

Chase Leoncini · · San Diego, CA · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 297

What ive read is that bees can sense a threatening animal (human) from up to 50 feet away. The africanized ones (and may pertain to other bees as well) might even track their threat for up to a 1/4 mile. Careful out there.

ErikF · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 71

It's prudent to assume that most of the bees you encounter in the Phoenix area are Africanized. They can be very aggressive. Generally if you don't get within the zone of the guard bees (maybe 25 feet depending on the temperature and location of the nest) you can sneak by quietly by moving slowly. However, if they alert to you, a cloud of bees will emerge from the hive and find you. From my experience they seem to operate on a horizontal plane first, but will track you up or down hill, and once you have several guard bees on you they will attract the others to wherever you run to.

Yes, they may stick with you for 1/4 of a mile. What I've found is that the majority of the bees will drop off after maybe 200 to 300 yards, but there will be more than a few who will stay with you for a long, long distance.

I have experienced bee attacks (with protective clothing) and it is pretty amazing - heart pounding and like an airplane engine. Hard to keep your wits together and to move safely. Avoid it.

Your best protection is to listen for the bees humming and if you hear them at all stop and look carefully with your eyes. There will be quite a few flying bees near their nest. Move away before you get within their guard patrols. It is common for one or two guard bees to check you out, but get out of there before they sting. Once I killed one of the guard bees with my gloves and that is all it took to get the pheromones going. I was in a cloud of bees quickly. They piled onto my gloved hands. Odd to observe, but damn scary.

Steven Groetken · · Durango, CO · Joined Sep 2012 · Points: 390

Keep in mind that bees fly around 12-15 mph. Good luck getting up to that speed in boots and a climbing pack on uneven ground. They will normally swarm the areas of your body that excrete the most CO2, i.e. nose, mouth and tear ducts. Fortunately head nets cover these areas, are lightweight and easy to put on. A fellow climber and mp user Robbie Mackley, told me about these after he got swarmed and stung 1500 times while setting up an anchor. With studies for this year showing that hives are larger and more aggressive this year more than previous years, I think some form of bee protection is adequate in AZ. Plenty of water will always be number one, followed by sun protection, but guard yourself against these bastards while you're out there.

Robbie Mackley · · Tucson, AZ · Joined May 2010 · Points: 85

+1 Steve. Thanks for posting. The most important thing to remember when scrambling to set a rope in this area, is to keep quiet and keep your ears open. As stated above, they will give chase. Don't panic. If you're on a sketchy scramble, take your time not to fall, the attack will lessen as you get further from the hive/nest. Once on terra firma, move fast.
-Mackley

Geir www.ToofastTopos.com · · Tucson/DMR · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 2,751

To add to Robbie's comment, If there is a known hive nearby, I just climb elsewhere. There is a lot of climbing in AZ, there is no need to risk being stung if I can avoid it.

Sam Lightner, Jr. · · Lander, WY · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 2,732

For what its worth, I was chased by a swarm of bee's in India about 20 years ago. I was at least 75 yards away from the hive when they came at me.

lou · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 60

In Arizona all bees are considered Africanized. Per Entomologists... evolving on the African contient they had to deal with huge mammals that may destroy thier hive ( cape buffalo, rhinos, ).So when disturbed the send out thousands instead of a hundred. The European bees just had to scare off bambi... you get the idea. They dont scope out the size of the disturber. They will usually dive bomb your head and bounce off once or twice before it gets really bad. A few bees on some flowers are foraging and arent in a killing mode. That said bee aware and bee careful.

cheers, lou

Robbie Mackley · · Tucson, AZ · Joined May 2010 · Points: 85
Geir wrote: If there is a known hive nearby, I just climb elsewhere. There is a lot of climbing in AZ, there is no need to risk being stung if I can avoid it.
This is the main point to remember. And why I've never been to the Mustangs.
Ellenore Zimmerman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2013 · Points: 75
Bill Shubert · · Lexington, MA · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 55
craghead wrote:I Killed This
Hard to tell because of the blurriness, but that's a yellowjacket, not a bee, isn't it?

Yellowjackets are still nasty (I've run over their nest with a lawnmower, and they weren't shy about letting me know they didn't like it), but they are not nearly as bad as africanized bees.
Manny Rangel · · PAYSON · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 4,788

Call an exterminator to remove bees? Bad idea. They live there. Go play somewhere else.

Thinking you own the cliff is the wrong tack. Learn to live with them, leave them. Just like the original post.

sherb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 60
manuel rangel wrote:Call an exterminator to remove bees? Bad idea. They live there. Go play somewhere else. Thinking you own the cliff is the wrong tack. Learn to live with them, leave them. Just like the original post.
Africanized bees were introduced by people, but because they aren't native to the area they don't have any enemies here, and can get out of control. We should introduce some other African animals- namely, the Honey Badger!!
Benjamin Chapman · · Small Town, USA · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 18,797

Caprinae monkey......a lot of folks aren't native to AZ & NM and we don't advocate exterminating them. As for introducing a new species to control the bees (e.g. Honey Badger), we've tried that with the Mongoose (for rats). Just leave the bees alone and give them space.

sherb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 60
Benjamin Chapman wrote:Caprinae monkey......a lot of folks aren't native to AZ & NM and we don't advocate exterminating them. As for introducing a new species to control the bees (e.g. Honey Badger), we've tried that with the Mongoose (for rats). Just leave the bees alone and give them space.
The honey badger thing was a bit of a joke, just because they're so cute. But I am not a fan of african bees (regular bees OK) or wasps at all, they are scary and kill people who I doubt were poking the hives with sticks. This is a decision best left for wildlife administrators, however, I think their quick spreading into new areas is alarming.

BTW the cruelest animal in my opinion is the Tarantula hawk wasp. This wasp stings the tarantula (the sting being the 2nd most painful in the world only 2nd to the bullet ant, and probably more painful for the tarantula due to its relative smaller size than humans), paralyzing it for the rest of its life. The wasp may eat tarantula a bit then drags the tarantula into its next and lays its larvae in the tarantula's abdomen. The tarantula is left there for months, starving but will stay alive for months with nothing to do except watch the alien egg grow. Then the egg burts and thousands of larvae suck the tarantula's juices and eats the tarantula alive. The tarantula can't move, but it can feel everything. It is the worst way to die.. the tarantula is starving, grossed out, and knows that the larvae will eat it "one day" months later.

I would be very happy if the Tarantula Hawk were eradicated from the earth. Long live the road-runners.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Arizona & New Mexico
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