Edinburg Volunteer Fire Department - Africanized Honeybees Information

Africanized Honeybee
A hybrid strain of honeybee introduced into Brazil in the mid-1950's and distinguished by aggressive traits such as the tendency to mass swarm and sting with great frequency. Africanized honey bees are well established in the wild population of honey bees in Texas. The Africanized bee appears identical to European honey bees. Individual foraging European and Africanized bees are highly unlikely to sting. A swarm rarely stings people when in flight or temporarily at rest. However, established Africanized colonies are more highly defensive toward perceived predators than European colonies.

Safety & Information Links

Safety Precautions List
Use these precautions at home.

Texas A&M University Honey Bee Info. Site
The Texas A&M University Department of
Entomology bee information pages. Information
on Identification, Habitat, Economics, Stings,
Educational materials, What to do,
Where they are, FAQ.

The Africanized Honeybee/La Abeja Africanizada
City of Los Angeles, California bee information page.
Information available in both English and Spanish.

Honey Bees on the Move - Lesson Plans
The University of Arizona Africanized Honeybee
Education Project. For parents and teachers. The
lessons are divided into grade clusters. Available
online or by mail.

Bee Response Policies

City of Edinburg

Emergencies - The Edinburg Fire Department will respond only to life-threatening situations, which involve bee attacks. The Edinburg Fire Department will not respond on "pest control" calls such as the killing of bees or other pests that are not posing an immediate threat to the public. For the purpose of this policy, immediate threat means people, pets and/or livestock are being injured by attacking bees. The purpose of our response is to remove any victim(s) from the hazard area as quickly as possible and begin emergency medical procedures (if necessary) to the level of the responders' training. If a life-threatening situation occurs, call 911 to report the emergency.

Non-emergency - If you need bees removed, a licensed exterminator should be contacted.

Back to Top

Rural Areas Adjacent to Edinburg

Non-emergency - Rural areas adjacent to the city limits of Edinburg are the jurisdiction of Hidalgo County. Fire and rescue services are provided to those areas by Edinburg Fire Department through a contract with the Hidalgo County Fire Marshal's Office. Africanized Honeybees removal is not covered by the contract. For questions about non-emergency situations contact County Commissioner Oscar Garza at Precinct 4, phone 383-3112, Monday thru Friday - 8am to 5pm.

Back to Top