SOUTHERN UTAH -- A few years ago, the idea that so-called "killer bees" would come to Utah was pure speculation.

Now, they're here.

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About a hundred colonies of the aggressive bees have been found and eradicated in the last couple of years in in Washington and Kane Counties in Southwestern Utah.

Their reputation as "killer" bees is probably overblown, their danger dwarfed by many other hazards in life. But Africanized bees have killed about a thousand people since they escaped from a breeding experiment in Brazil 50 years ago.

So, if you encounter them, be prepared.

KSL reporter John Hollenhorst and videographer Jay Dortzbach headed into bee country to see just what it would be like to be attacked by killer bees.

Beekeepers almost never suit up in head-to-toe protective gear because most bees are not very scary.

"There's really no issue with backyard beekeeping," said Washington County Bee Inspector Casey Lofthouse.

But Hollenhorst and Dortzbach did just that on their first stop with Lofthouse to a colony of regular honeybees in Washington County.

Lofthouse starts by puffing smoke into the hive. "It seems to calm them, makes them to where they're a little more docile," he explained.

As he dismantles their home, they squirm. But they hardly fly, and they're not inclined to sting.

"Most domestic bees that are kept in either a hobby or commercial setting are gentle like this," Lofthouse said.

But with Africanized bees, it's a whole different ballgame.

One colony of the bees was found in a Hurricane neighborhood, so Lofthouse moved it to a safe location in the desert. That was the next stop on the bee tour.

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As Lofthouse pried the lid off the habitat, the bees immediately started flying out and into Hollenhorst's face.

"The intensity here, the sound, is totally different" than the domestic bees, he said.

They behave that way because "they're protecting their home," Lofthouse said. "Any time you mess with a bee's home, it's going to protect it."

Still, an Africanized bee's sting is no more venomous than a regular bee. When they kill, it's because they sting repeatedly -- hundreds or thousands of times.

Lofthouse believes this colony is only partially Africanized, worth trying to save, by bringing in a new queen to make the next generation tame.

"Even though they show aggressive traits, they're still a beneficial insect," he said.

The lesson here is that you can learn to live with what people call "killer bees" -- if you know how to do it.

"We have no choice but to learn to live with them. There's no way possible way to eradicate the Africanized honeybee," Lofthouse said. "They're here to stay."

The biggest risk is a colony in a place where humans might accidentally stir them up; for example, in a lawn sprinkler box. Experts say stay alert for buzzing, aggressive bees. Avoid them, report them and, if they erupt, get away quickly.

"Run away, cover your head and neck, and go into a building or a vehicle," Lofthouse said. "They'll set up a perimeter around their colony that they'll protect after we leave. And anything that comes within that area has the possibility of being attacked."

In the end, the Africanized bees they visited were more aggressive than expected, so Lofthouse eradicated the colony after they left.

Email: Hollenhorst@ksl.com

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