‘Killer bees’: Texas dogs die after attack from Africanized honey bees, reports say

Two dogs in McAllen, Texas died last week after getting attacked by the Africanized Bee, also known as killer bees, according to reports.

NBC station KVEO in Brownsville, Texas reported that the dogs died at a McAllen home after getting attacked by bees.

The city received a call about a bee attack on N. 7th Court on Thursday morning, which code enforcement responded to after obtaining a warrant to enter the vacated home where the hive was located.

Devon Johnson of R9 Hive & Honey told the news station the bees were Africanized honey bees, which are oftentimes misclassified as aggressive, though like regular honey bees, they only get aggressive when threatened.

She also said the bees have a three-day memory span, so if they get triggered by a lawn mower, they could get aggressive toward something else later.

Johnson told KVEO the attack was odd because these types of bees do not normally go out of their way to attack, and the dogs that took the stings were in a fence patio on the other side of a duplex.

The homeowner reportedly refused to allow the bee specialist and code enforcement staff to enter the home, so a warrant was obtained.

Once inside, an active hive was discovered that appeared to be covered up with fresh foam.

The Africanized honey bee is also known as the killer bee, which is a cross-breed between the European honey bee and the African honey bee.

The so-called killer bee is the result of experiments in Brazil decades ago, and the insects migrated to the US.

Although weather is a factor, a normal bee season runs from mid-March through October.

They are also on guard constantly for possible threats to their hive, and even find the color of a shirt or scent of cologne as threatening.

Health officials also advise people who disrupt a beehive to cover their heads, run away and take shelter and not to flail their arms.