A Miami Gardens resident who opted not to wait for a professional bee handler to deal with a hive in a log unleashed a swarm of aggressive Africanized bees Wednesday that attacked just about every living thing nearby, including the home's occupants, responding firefighters, reporters and the family dogs -- one of whom died.
When Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the call at 18200 NW Fourth Ave. shortly after 3 p.m., the swarm was so thick firefighters could scarcely see out of their vehicle's windows, department spokesman Lt. Eric Baum said.
''It was like going from daylight to darkness,'' Baum said.
Three adults -- two men and a woman, whose identities were not released in accordance with federal health laws -- were treated for bee stings and transported to local hospitals, Baum said.
A small dog that apparently also lived at the residence died from the bee stings, Baum said. Firefighters administered medication to another dog to relieve breathing problems from the stings. A third dog at the address appeared to be in good condition and wasn't treated, he said.
According to Baum and professional apiarist Adrian Valero, who arrived to destroy the swarm, the occupants of the house discovered a hive of bees in a log and called Valero's company, I Will Bee There of Hialeah, to deal with it. Before Valero's son and business partner, Christian, arrived, the men decided to drag the log to the swale.
KILLER BEE CROSS
They didn't realize the hive contained Africanized honey bees, a cross of domestic honey bees and a highly aggressive African species, sometimes called killer bees. Killer bees escaped from quarantine in Brazil in 1957, mated with domestic species and spread through the hemisphere.
In an instant, the angered bees were airborne and intent on attacking anything that moved.
''The bees went ballistic,'' Adrian Valero said.
The three people ran into the house, closing themselves off from the bulk of the swarm outside but bringing a multitude of bees in with them.
Arriving firefighters donned their ''bunker gear'' -- the full complement of body-covering firefighting gear -- before venturing outside the truck. The gear is not fully sealed, however, and the firefighters received some stings, Baum said.
Firefighters used carbon dioxide fire extinguishers to clear a momentary path to the house, Baum said. Inside, the fire extinguishers were only of limited use because they use up oxygen.
Firefighters ''were in the house for close to an hour; we couldn't get [the residents] out,'' Baum said. ''We had to back a rescue truck up to the house.''
Firefighters created a carbon dioxide-protected ''gantlet'' between the house and the ambulance to evacuate the three people as the bees continued to swarm, Baum said.
Meanwhile, WPLG Channel 10 reporter Anjanette Flowers and WSVN Channel 7 cameraman Chris McKinney sustained bee stings more than a block from the home.
A bee ''was actually in my hair first, and I swatted it, which they say you're not supposed to do, and then he bit me on my chin,'' Flowers said. She delivered her live report uninterrupted.
QUEEN ESCAPES
Valero said that by the time he arrived, firefighters had set fire to the log housing the hive, but the the hive's queen apparently had escaped to another tree in the backyard of the house.
''Wherever she goes, [the swarm] will follow,'' Valero said.
He killed the bees with a chemical insect fogger.
''In this case, you have to destroy them because they're too aggressive,'' he said.
Valero said he has destroyed three Africanized honey bee hives in South Florida in the past month after not seeing one for more than a year.
But, he added, he saw no cause for alarm about the recent discoveries.
Distributed by the Associated Press
