international news _ 6th February, 2006
Killer Bee Terror Threatens Miami Winter Conference
Text by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
Florida agricultural officials issued a state-wide alert to be on guard against Africanized killer bees this week after two dogs were reportedly killed by swarms of the ultra-aggressive insects, including one in Miami. (United Press).
The notoriously volatile insects have killed over 1,000 people since their predecessors first escaped from Brazilian laboratories in 1957 including 14 in America, though no-one in Florida has yet been killed.
The bees are known to attack in massive swarms if disturbed even slightly, such as by loud noises and vibrations, which could pose problems if any turn up at the upcoming Winter Music Conference which features scores of outdoor parties throughout Miami Beach.
People unlucky enough to be attacked by the killer bees should seek shelter indoors or run for their lives, bee expert Joan Mulcare advised last year after 11 people were attacked by a swarm near a lake in Newbury Springs, California.
"You should run in a straight line as fast as you can as they may chase you for a quarter-mile," Ms Mulcare told the Desert Dispatch, "And you should never jump in the water, because you have to come up for air," she added.
OSU entomology Professor Russell Wright offered similar advice on Eyewitness news in 2004, after seven people were attacked in Oklahoma City, warning that the killer bees 'relentlessly' pursue targets with a zeal not possessed by regular bees.
"They will literally chase you down to sting you, and instead of one
European honeybee stinging you, you may have hundreds of Africanized honeybees stinging you," Professor Wright warned.
"They will chase you farther, and there will be more of them; they'll be more persistent trying to sting you," he stressed.
Paul Van Dyk, DJ Hell, Paul Oakenfold and The Prodigy headline this year's Ultra Music Festival in Miami, which takes places on March 25 at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami.
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