How To Avoid Getting Stung By A Swarm Of Bees

San Diego's news this month three incidents have been reported where swarms of bees have attacked people, sitting on these two of the victims to the hospital. The tax happen and Rancho Bernardo, Ramona and admission chills Park. Joining me is Hilary Kearny, beekeeper and owner of girl next-door honey. She's also on the board of the San Diego beekeeping society and welcome back to the show. Thanks for having me. I may be due from a news a report report about the be attacked in Rancho Bernardo, okay? IMINT heard a woman screaming, he found her on the ground, part of her face covered in bees, her baby stroller was just a few feet away. He managed to rescue them and take them to the hospital. That's pretty scary stuff. How does an attack like that happen? This is an established colonies of the news is describing it as a swarm it is not really the correct terminology because this form is a brand-new colony so bees are defensive of their home, of the babies, of the honey. With their new they don't have any of that so usually really do cell through this was an established colonies that was year by I'm not clear on what happened but something must have disturbed them in a pretty dramatic way to get them to act that we. For the woman walking industry she has no idea what's going on, Jesus walking, she was someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Physically. What's really scary to me about that story is the woman's reaction, that's what scared me most because she did everything wrong and of course is not to blame. There's not a lot of education about it and it is a really high stress situation a lot of people panic so everyone's first NSTIC is to SWOT and that's the wrong thing to do because if you SWOT your definitely going to get stung and once once were struck stumped the Mike with the Fairmount details at the base testing you and it can create a frenzy in this kind of situation where you are going to get to more than you would if you had not swatted. This is a really hard instinct to resist because you have these flying in your face and they are try to sting you but if you can keep can keep your hands down and run or walk swiftly away you will get a lot less things and in a situation like this, it is a game of how much venom gets into her body versus how much venom your body can take. A regular not allergic person it depends on how big they are, how much they weigh and everybody is different about how much -- how they react to the bee venom but what times you get stung the more danger you are in. You are telling me that the bees or just feeling threatened and that's why the would attack that way? Yes. She was just near them and they were feeling threatened and because we don't have the information it is hard to say what exactly set those bees off but I heard was it was somebody who had a while colony living in the regard that the move into people's trees and into your roofline and she put off getting it removed because as the bees get bigger they can become quite defensive of the space. Every bee colony is different so it is hard to say would say this is really abnormal behavior for them to act that aggressively, but it happened. I have our winter rains produced a lot of bees looking for new homes? Yes. A special because the bees. Them as being repressed for the last four or five years because of the drought, there hasn't been a lot of flowers because the lack of rain and they've been really struggling along with not a lot of honey, not able able to grow as big as the normally would. In a normal year when the bees are hoping to have a lot of food they will split off and that's when they swarm. It hasn't been us off in the last two years so this year we've got this rain and this super bloom going on so the bees are arriving because of that's so there's a lot more be activity. Was important to remove hives if you have one near your home? Is a point to remove the bees early because as they become established that's when they can become offensive sweat first there will always be -- with alone they say it is not a problem, I'm going to leave it in most of the time to be honest it isn't a problem. I know a lot of people who have while colonies on their properties and they've never bothered them but it isn't the problem until it is is. It takes one thing to pick and get some off and you never know because every colony is different. Tell us again about that reaction because I cannot imagine having several bees around me and not waving at my Phase or trying to get them away from my face. What are we supposed to do instead of that? But your hands in your pocket and start moving away from the area because if you focus on swapping image why not moving away from the area image area it means you are standing still and slotting. In this case the woman laid down on the ground which I'm sure she was in full panic mode at this point but that means she does not moving so she is a mobile ring stung over and over again so put your hands against her body in your pocket what if you have to do if you are going to SWOT it at least one as your slotting. The main thing is to get away from the era you are in and seek shelter instead of a car, inside of car, inside of the house, the man who hurt her did everything right. He got in the car and try to get her in the car, when that work you got out of the car and that the baby away on the scene and then he went back for her, that was when I read that I was think he heard her because I'm really scared to think what would've happened chart if he had not found her. What could've happened? She could have died. She could've gotten enough stings where she would have died just from the sheer amount of venom that got into her body. Is there a way to peacefully coexist with these decide I'm not talking about if you are in the process of getting attacked or there is a lot of bees are around you, but to peacefully coexist with bees perhaps not on your property but nearby. What do you do? When bees are on flowers and in your gardens and working for most people they will never be in a situation like what we described just now. In most situations situations maybe is fine by you on its way to a flower and when they are on flowers they don't care about you and they are not going to act defensively unless you directly attacked them so this again is the dose watching the because if it be the single becomes up to to it is not a situation where you are being attacked and you SWOT at that you're going to get stung, that's the best way to get stung because happy perceives this big hand coming at it and that's a direct threat to the BPR do in most situations people coexist with these everyday. You are in your garden, if you are outside your coexisting with these because bees are everywhere, you might not notice them. I them by thing people notice them when they heard them in the trees if there's a lot of flowers you hear that buzz, there's no reason to be frightened in that situation. They are just working the flowers, you can even pick up a be in that situation and probably would not sting you spend it is interesting because I understand be behavior the way I do most people I realize don't understand be behavior but I think having a CAD or dog they have signals that they give you when they are getting upset and it is most people don't understand with the signals are and that's why we didn't just we should where people are stung. I have been speaking with Hilary Kearny, beekeeper and owner of girl next-door honey and Hillary, thank you.