Nacogdoches Firefighters Learn Honey Bee Handling Basics

摘要

The City of Nacogdoches, Texas, recently invested funds in a purchase some might think bizarre - two white bee suits. No, this small East Texas city does not maintain beehives on the courthouse roof or donate bee suits to beekeepers in need. Instead,these suits belong to the Nacogdoches Fire and Rescue, where, since the beginning of this year, they have been used to assist local citizens and honey bees in need.Recently, I had the chance to talk with Ray Cole of the Nacogdoches Fire and Rescue about the fire department's new and old approaches to handling honey bees. He explained that the fire and rescue service has always received honey bee-related emer-gency calls funneled to them from 9-1-1. Before this year, firefighters either referred the callers to a local beekeeper who could remove the bees or sprayed the honey bees with firefighter foam, a substance similar to soap and water that kills the bees.Now, after pairing up with a local beekeeper, many of the firefighters that make up the department have completed beekeeping training and can discern between established bee colonies and swarms, as well as between normal and aggressive bee behavior so they can save more bees.