Bees that killed 2 dogs not African Killer Bees

The bees that fatally stung two dogs last month were honey bees and not the aggressive Africanized strain of bee.

Tests done separately – one in Florida and one in Arizona – came back with the same results, said Casey Mahoney, spokeswoman with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

“They are European honey bees – our native bees,” she said. (note: Honey Bees, Apis mellifera are considered exotic species -- RMM)

As to what happened to the two dogs at a home in Lebanon, Tenn., she said:
“We can’t explain it.”

On July 18, Susan Garner, who had been doing yard work, had walked into her home briefly to get a drink of water.

She heard her Labrador retriever Katie making a fuss and went back out to find her covered with bees. Katie, who had been on a long lead line, died almost immediately.

Susan and husband Kevin Garner’s other dog, a Boston terrier named Petey, was also stung repeatedly but was still alive. He was taken to a veterinary clinic where he died two days later.

The bees had been swarming in a large bundle in a nearby tree at the time of the incident. That’s a time when even bees are particularly docile.

“Bees sting generally in defense of their colony,” she said. “When they’re in a swarm they’re looking for a new home and they’re not defending, so this is odd,” she said.

Apiarists in a couple of states with Africanized bees said they knew of no cases when they had attacked an animal or a person while swarming, she added. (Note: we have encountered African honey bee swarms in Florida that are extremely defensive! -- We ALWAYS recommend removal of feral honey bee colonies when pets, small children or handicapped are nearby -- RMM)

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