Busy Bees

[Bugbear]

Had a bit of a scare yesterday. My new next door neighbor, who built a storage barn and workshop along our shared property line, told me there was a swarm of bees inside the barn. The bees are out and about at this time of the year...

Then he told me that he tried chasing them out by swatting at them with a broom, if I remember correctly. Um... Then he told me he tried spraying them with break fluid because that's how he kills roaches; he repairs cars and his yard is full of cars all the time. The break fluid didn't do anything.

I asked him if they stung him; I was quite alarmed at his behavior at this point. He told me that he was not stung, but the bees were very aggressive. After the break fluid failed to chase the bees off, he said he went in to call an exterminator, but when he came back out, the bees were gone.

We have a little problem with Africanized killer bees here in the valley, and thankfully that swarm of bees, which were probably looking for a new home, were most likely the domesticated European honey bees. Unfortunately, the Africanized bees will go after anyone around if they are aggravated by being swatted at, and sprayed with break fluid...