Get you up to speed: Panama sees 150 people injured in bee swarm attack during Easter event
A swarm of Africanised bees injured around 150 people during an Easter event in Penonome, Panama, with 50 individuals requiring hospital treatment. This incident is part of a series of bee attacks in the region, which has recorded over 1,820 cases in January and February this year.
A swarm of Africanised bees injured 150 people during a Via Crucis religious procession in Penonome, Panama, with 50 requiring hospital treatment, according to the local fire department. This incident is part of a troubling pattern, with over 1,820 bee attack cases reported in the region in January and February 2023, as stated by Destino Panama.
Following the bee swarm incident during the Via Crucis religious procession in Penonome, Panama, the local fire department has reported a series of similar attacks in the region this year, with over 1,820 cases documented in January and February alone. Among those injured was the priest leading the event, and currently, 50 people remain hospitalised for treatment.
‘Killer bee’ attack leaves 150 people injured with 50 taken to hospital | News World
Dozens of people were taken to the hospital after the bee swarm attacked a crowd in Panama (Picture: Bomberos De Panama)
A swarm of bees has left 150 people injured, with 50 in hospital, after it attacked a crowd at an Easter event.
Residents in the town of Penonome in central Panama, South America, were left shocked after a colony of Africanised bees, or better known as killer bees, swarmed the neighbourhood.
The swarm happened during the Via Crucis religious procession, known in English as the Stations of the Cross ceremony, which is often held on Good Friday to represent Jesus’s journey to the crucifixion.
Around 150 people were injured in the attack, while 50 were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The local fire department said the recent bee attack marks a series of several in the region this year (Picture: Bomberos De Panama)
According to local outlet Destino Panama, among those injured was the priest who led the religious event, the local fire department said.
The local fire department was called to the scene and shared footage on its social media showing residential streets lined with several emergency service vehicles.
It is not known what caused the swarm to descend on the crowd, but attacks are more likely to occur between January and April when food is scarcer, and the dry, hot weather can make them more irritable.
The swarm marks a series of several bee attacks in the region, with more than 1,820 recorded cases in January and February this year alone, Destino Panama reported.
What are killer bees?
Killer bees, also known as Africanised bees, are a hybrid strain of African and European honey bees, according to the Natural History Museum.
The bees were bred by Brazilian geneticist Dr Warwick E Kerr in 1956 in an effort to improve honey production in Brazil.
The hybrid species combines the European bees’ ability to generate greater honey yields with the African honey bees’ better adaptation to warmer climates.
African honey bees are naturally more aggressive than European varieties – a trait which has been passed onto killer bees.
They are only found in parts of North, Central and South America.
Locals were left shocked after the swarm attacked the neighbourhood (Picture: Bomberos De Panama)
Can killer bees actually kill humans?
Despite their rather dangerous name, a single killer bee is no deadlier than any other honey bee species, the Natural History Museum says.
Killer bees tend to be smaller than honey bees with short wings and carry less venom.
What makes them appear so deadly is when they are forced to defend their nest.
When a European honey bee is threatened, only 10% of the bees will venture out of their hive to protect their home.
Killer bees can be deadly in swarms, but a single killer bee is no deadlier than a European honey bee (Picture: Getty Images/Westend61)
In comparison, killer bees will empty their nests, flying in swarms of around 300,000 to 800,000.
Their numbers can increase exponentially, as with every sting, a pheromone is released to signal for more bees from the colony to join the onslaught.
It is estimated that around 1,000 stings could kill an adult human.
However, it is important to note that killer bees do not attack for no reason.They use their stinging defence when they genuinely believe their colony is at risk.
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