'Giant Killer Bees' on Monsterquest

[sarafina]

Hi lasvegas,

Your husband has my deepest sympathy and I am glad he survived what must have been a horrendous ordeal.  I did not see the show, so I can't comment on it.  But I have been attacked by my own aggressive part-AHB bees and ended up at the doctor for a steroid shot and probably should have gone to the emergency room except I was too stubborn.  I only had a tiny fraction of the stings there were described for your husband and it made me very sick (I am not allergic).  I took steady doses of Benedryl until I made sure my breathing wasn't going to be affected.  I thought I was ok until I took a warm shower and I broke out in a rash/hives all over my body - not just where I had been stung.  I killed the queen which supplies 100% of the genetics of the offspring and installed a new queen from a non-AHB area of the country and within 4 weeks the hive was normal again.  Mine were European honeybees with AHB genetics and what made them different was they would not give up even at great distances from the hive.  The intensity of their aggressiveness compared to my other gentle hive 3 feet away was amazing.  Just sending a few puffs of smoke at the entrance would turn their buzz into a roar and it was like turning a volume-control dial - it ramped up. 

Of course it isn't the managed hives that are a problem because a beekeeper would be aware of the issues and be able to address them like I did.  The problem is the wild hives that get accidentally disturbed and the individual does not have protective clothing on.