Orioles/Camden Yards and Bees

[Ohfan67]

Honeybees in Arizona are not honeybees in Maryland. A very, very high percentage of feral honeybee colonies in Arizona are African honeybees, not European honeybees. The rest of the feral honeybees in Arizona are hybrid African-European with primarily African honeybee genes. As you probably know, African or Africanized honeybees are much more aggressive than European honeybees and pose a real hazard to humans. They are also despised by bee keepers as they have not been domesticated for centuries and are not reared by commercial or hobby beekeepers. The loss of this colony is not a "minor tragedy" and will have zero effect on pollination in Arizona. Again, this is a really, really different situation than removing a European honeybee colony.

[Satyr3206]

Honeybees in Arizona are not honeybees in Maryland. A very, very high percentage of feral honeybee colonies in Arizona are African honeybees, not European honeybees. The rest of the feral honeybees in Arizona are hybrid African-European with primarily African honeybee genes. As you probably know, African or Africanized honeybees are much more aggressive than European honeybees and pose a real hazard to humans. They are also despised by bee keepers as they have not been domesticated for centuries and are not reared by commercial or hobby beekeepers. The loss of this colony is not a "minor tragedy" and will have zero effect on pollination in Arizona. Again, this is a really, really different situation than removing a European honeybee colony.

I have dealt with both kinds. About 15 years ago I ordered two hives from a company in Alabama. One was so docile I could work it with no protection at all. The other one was so aggressive the would attack me when I got within 20 feet of the hive. I tried to re-queen them and it did no good. After being stung about 30 times I finally had to kill that hive.

[SteveO]

Honeybees in Arizona are not honeybees in Maryland. A very, very high percentage of feral honeybee colonies in Arizona are African honeybees, not European honeybees. The rest of the feral honeybees in Arizona are hybrid African-European with primarily African honeybee genes. As you probably know, African or Africanized honeybees are much more aggressive than European honeybees and pose a real hazard to humans. They are also despised by bee keepers as they have not been domesticated for centuries and are not reared by commercial or hobby beekeepers. The loss of this colony is not a "minor tragedy" and will have zero effect on pollination in Arizona. Again, this is a really, really different situation than removing a European honeybee colony.

Yea but I seriously doubt the guy they brought in took any time to determine if these were feral honeybees, European, or whatever else they could have been. It certainly appeared that the course of action was going to be the same regardless of what they were. All the clips I have seen to date have people in the background, not tremendously far away and none of them seem to be swatting or fighting off aggressive bees, most the people who ran did so because that is what a lot of people do when they see a lot of bees lol. The only thing anyone seemed concerned about was getting the game going as quick as possible so Mike Trout could

[Ohfan67]

Yea but I seriously doubt the guy they brought in took any time to determine if these were feral honeybees, European, or whatever else they could have been. It certainly appeared that the course of action was going to be the same regardless of what they were. All the clips I have seen to date have people in the background, not tremendously far away and none of them seem to be swatting or fighting off aggressive bees, most the people who ran did so because that is what a lot of people do when they see a lot of bees lol. The only thing anyone seemed concerned about was getting the game going as quick as possible so Mike Trout could

It was a feral Africanized honeybee colony. ALL of the feral honeybee colonies in Arizona are Africanized or hybrids (same difference in terms of aggression). It's a feral hive because it was not living in a manmade hive. The only purely European honeybees in Arizona right now are produced in commercial or hobbiest's hives and they use queens (and workers) that are bred in other states. And there's very high concern about hybridization in those hives. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but this is an important topic for entomologists, apiculturalists, and public safety folks in Arizona and other southern states and I work with a lot of people at the forefront of this question. Although Arizona has had Africanized bees the longest in the U.S. and has seen the greatest effects. Apiculturists will move European honeybees when they can be placed in a man made hive and someone wants them. That's not practical or even possible with Africanized honeybees...and no one wants them. I applaud your interest in protecting bees, but these bees are very dangerous and unwanted invasive pests and exterminating the colony is the thing to do.

[weams]

I had not even thought about the Bees being Africanized, but they certainly did not appear aggressive and it is not just for hives that we need bees. They pollinate the untended landscape as well as farms or orchards. I prefer a non lethal alternative when possible.

[Barnaby Graves]

I had not even thought about the Bees being Africanized, but they certainly did not appear aggressive and it is not just for hives that we need bees. They pollinate the untended landscape as well as farms or orchards. I prefer a non lethal alternative when possible.

Yeah I think Ohfan has a good point despite my initial comment.

Still, even Africanized bees pollinate, right?

[justD]

It was a feral Africanized honeybee colony. ALL of the feral honeybee colonies in Arizona are Africanized or hybrids (same difference in terms of aggression). It's a feral hive because it was not living in a manmade hive. The only purely European honeybees in Arizona right now are produced in commercial or hobbiest's hives and they use queens (and workers) that are bred in other states. And there's very high concern about hybridization in those hives. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but this is an important topic for entomologists, apiculturalists, and public safety folks in Arizona and other southern states and I work with a lot of people at the forefront of this question. Although Arizona has had Africanized bees the longest in the U.S. and has seen the greatest effects. Apiculturists will move European honeybees when they can be placed in a man made hive and someone wants them. That's not practical or even possible with Africanized honeybees...and no one wants them. I applaud your interest in protecting bees, but these bees are very dangerous and unwanted invasive pests and exterminating the colony is the thing to do.

If the hive was in fact Africanized bees, then it seems it was almost great good fortune that they appeared somewhere where they could be exterminated so quickly and efficiently. The young worker didn't seem to know one way or the other, as someone else mentioned, but I guess what you're saying is if they were out on their own, they were automatically at least a hybrid hive, that the only bees that one would want to protect in Arizona are the European honeybees kept somehow in captivity somewhere for the purposes of agriculture pollination. If all that is true, I can certainly see why it was felt imperative to kill them off as soon as possible.

It sounds like this is a situation that has a lot of appropriate attention there in that region, and I'm glad you've brought this subject to the thread as well as all the great comments about colony collapse disorder and the use of neonic pesticides, etc. contributed by other posters.

I still think it's great that here in Maryland, at Camden Yards, they have a certified bee keeper available in case any issues with our bees ever arise, which was the point of my original post. Thanks Nicole!

[Ohfan67]

I had not even thought about the Bees being Africanized, but they certainly did not appear aggressive and it is not just for hives that we need bees. They pollinate the untended landscape as well as farms or orchards. I prefer a non lethal alternative when possible.

Weams: think of them as Toronto blue jay bees.

[weams]

Weams: think of them as Toronto blue jay bees.

Broke, lousy, and open to mockery? Twenty Two Years.

[Barnaby Graves]

I still love bees.

[Crazysilver03]

This has been a fascinating thread to say the least.

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[Ohfan67]

I still love bees.

Bees are cool. Hell, even Africanized bees are cool! It's just that bees that evolved to protect the hive against mammals of Africa are a little dangerous in the 'burbs. Arizona, by the way, has an incredible diversity of native bees. Maybe the highest diversity in the USA.

[Ohfan67]

More bees and baseball.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/21/bee-attack-at-utah-baseball-game-sends-man-to-hospital-after-stung-100s-times/

[BohKnowsBmore]

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[weams]

http://gawker.com/92-000-worth-of-bees-bees-bees-all-over-this-highway-1698510693