TN Is Now Home To Partial Africanized Bees?

It must have been a terrifying ordeal for an East Tennessee Beekeeper when he opened a hive only to be attacked by these Partial Africanized Bees. After he lifted the cover of the hive they swarmed on him and he was covered.

The swarm was so large that the father of the beekeeper who was in a nearby house could not see his son through all the bees. He managed to get to his car but it took five minutes of driving before the swarm gave up the chase. His stings were kept to a minimum thanks to his protective clothing he was wearing.

The local beekeeper waited until nightfall when the bees are most docile to put them to sleep and kill them, so they do not multiply and cause a huge problem for the state. Some beekeepers in Tennessee have thought this would have happened before now as, similar bees have been found in neighbouring states. At the same time it is a little surprising as these types of bees usually can not survive cold winters.

The state will be working with beekeepers who they have urged to keep their eyes open for any aggressive bees.