Hurricane Blows In Killer Bees; Homeowners Injured, Pets Killed
Africanized bees in a hollow log kill pets, injure homeowners.
Firefighter: "Swarm Of Bees Just Covered Fire Truck"
GDO Report
A large swarm of Africanized bees that experts believe were blown into Florida by Hurricane Katrina killed two dogs and injured several homeowners in South Florida this week, according to a Local 6 News report.
The killer bees took refuge in a hollow log in Miami Gardens after the storm, officials said.
When a professional bee handler tried the take care of the problem, they attacked residents, reporters, firefighters and pets. Two dogs were killed by the stings and neighbors were stung, officials said.
"It's scary because you get a lot of bites, the house is full of bees right there now," neighbor Franklin Rutherford said.
Lt. Eric Baum of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the swarm was so thick when firefighters arrived on the scene they could barely see out their windows.
"When our fire truck arrived, the officers and firefighters just saw a swarm of bees just cover the fire truck. Visibility was limited. Bees were all over," Baum said.
Two men and a woman at the house were treated for multiple stings. The firefighters had to put on full bunker gear covering every part of their body before venturing out of the truck.
A beekeeper called to remove the bees didn't realize they were killer bees until after he began his work.
By the time firefighters set fire to the log, beekeeper Adrian Valero said the queen had escaped to a tree in the backyard. He said where the queen goes the hive follows.
"They are more aggressive than the regular ones. If you disturb them for any reason they attack faster than the regular ones," Valero said.
He was able to kill the colony using a chemical fogger.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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