TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — During the summer months, bees become more defensive around the hive.
“When you have a large population of adult bees, which we have now, because they’re still left over from spring and you have a large population of the larvae building up to exploit the flowers that are coming, it’s kind of the perfect storm.” Greg Denker, who works with American Bee Control, said. “It makes beehives very dangerous.”
Denker said that summer is an active time for bee stings.
“June, July and August are definitely the hottest time of the year in terms of how hot the bees will be,” said Denker.
Last year, one man died and three others were sent to hospital after a bee attack in Marana.
“Bees don’t warn you, they pick up your scent,” Denker said. “They recruit other bees to come get you and that’s how people get killed by bees.”
Denker estimates that one in five homes has a beehive in our area.
“There are two types of homeowners: those who have bees, and they know about it, and those who have bees, and they don’t know about it,” Denker said.
If you have a beehive on your property, get rid of it immediately. You can do this through pest control or with beekeepers like American Bee Control.
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Greg Bradbury is a reporter for KGUN 9. Greg is a graduate of Syracuse University where he studied Broadcast Journalism and Spanish. Greg joined KGUN 9 in February 2021 as a multimedia journalist after working at the ABC National Desk as a Digital News Associate. Share your story ideas and important issues with Greg by emailing greg.bradbury@kgun9.com or by on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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