Copyright 2010 - Association of La Buena Vida Estates, Inc.
June 19, 2010 -- Sometime around June 15, a swarm of bees came to rest in one of the mesquite trees on the traffic island at the subdivision entrance. A member of the HOA board was told about it and a qualified exterminator was promptly contacted to remove the insects.When the exterminator arrived on Thursday June 17, he found that someone had already killed the swarm, but left the dead bees and broken tree branches lying on the ground. The HOA paid the exterminator to do the cleanup.
Since the mid-1980s, we have to assume that wild bees in Arizona have been "Africanized" or hybridized with an ultra-aggressive strain of African honey bees that escaped into the wild in Brazil in the 1970s. The hybrid bees moved steadily north and were first detected in Arizona in the mid 1980s.
Because Africanized bees are so aggressive, they must be considered dangerous ... even life-threatening. The Homeowners Association has recommended that residents do a weekly walk-around home inspection during the Spring swarming season and that qualified professional exterminators be used to remove any hives that might have become established.
While the Homeowners Association board appreciates the work (if not the sloppiness) of the unknown bee killer, the board urges La Buena Vida residents not to tackle these matters on their own. If a bee swarm shows up on common areas, notify the HOA board.
