African killer bees thriving in the desert

Very few people have found themselves unaffected by our state’s drought.

But one population seems to be thriving in our drier weather.

African honey bees, also known as African killer bees, are making their way to our desert to build their hives.

While everyone else is worried about the drought these bees are thriving.

“Well we must remember that the African killer bees come from the lower planes of Mount Kilimanjaroin Africa, where there’s very little water. So bees thrive in this kind of weather. This is their ideal climate,” owner of Killer Bee Live Removal Lance Davis said.

Davis said this year has been his busiest.

“But the wild feral colonies are actually moving in closer to the populated areas here in the valley because there’s not GMO foods here, there’s other flowers that we plant for the beauty of the country clubs that we inhabit,” Davis said.

Davis said it’s crucial to make sure the bees stay alive when he’s removing them.

Essentially a vacuum pulls the bees down into a box. There’s a filter on top of the box so that the bees don’t die.

Bees tend to create their hives near the roofline or in water valve boxes.

Davis said if you find one don’t spray it because killing bees does more harm than good.

“And we relocate them, we don’t kill them. And we put them in areas where they’re not a threat to humans,” Davis said.

Bees are responsible for pollinating about one-third of U.S. crops.

“Albert Einstein said if the honey bee disappears from the face of the earth humanity would have less than four years to survive,” Davis said.