Bees invade La Perilla Estates
By Bruce Whetten

Douglas Dispatch


Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 4:33 PM MDT


Residents at the La Perilla Estates had some unwelcomed visitors Tuesday, May 8 when a swarm of bees decided to invade a residence in the area.


The home in La Perilla Estates where the bees were swarming May 1 shows the aftermath after the Douglas Fire Department sprayed a foam on the swarm after they stung several residents in the area. Bruce Whetten/Douglas Dispatch

During that time residents in the area were either cautioned to keep themselves and their pets indoors or not allowed to enter the gated community.

According to Douglas Fire Chief Mario Novoa the owner of the residence Francisco Leon had been having a bee problem for several weeks.

The chief said Leon had contacted several local bee exterminators but had no luck getting the unwelcomed guests removed.

Early in the evening of May 8 the bees became aggressive stinging Leon numerous times including on the side of his face near his eye. His youngest daughter was even stung.

Desperate for help Leon called 911 and the DFD responded.

Chief Novoa said normally the DFD will not respond to private areas but that since the bees were being aggressive and stinging humans and pets they chose to respond.

Upon arrival Novoa himself was also stung as were several of his firefighters.

The Chief said they monitored the situation for a while before spraying the swarm with a soap and water based foam.

After about 30 minutes the area was deemed safe and the residents.

“Our biggest fear is the possible reaction to the bee stings,” the chief said. “Being this was a danger to the residents here we chose to respond.”

The chief said it was too soon to tell if the bees were Africanized killer bees or not.

 

Copyright © 2013 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    Mel B wrote on May 15, 2012 2:26 PM:

    " Should have called Bee Bustin they would have removed it live and rehomed it. They specialize in live removals. "

    clarify wrote on May 14, 2012 9:34 AM:

    " Novoa was saying that they don't normally respond to private property regarding bee extermination calls. However, due to the aggressiveness of the bees and the possibility of becoming a medical emergency DFD chose to eliminate the problem before it became more difficult to manage. "

    rancho perilla resident wrote on May 14, 2012 12:28 AM:

    " They dont respond to Rancho Perilla yet they trained here for over a month and ruined out street lights. Last time I checked I'm paying taxes to the city of Douglas so can I have my money back.The golf course belongs to the city and the RV park on Rancho Perilla belongs to the city yet our homes are not in the city limits? "

    chuckj wrote on May 13, 2012 9:23 AM:

    " "Chief Novoa said normally the DFD will not respond to private areas" WOW, glad I dont live in Douglas. "

    BEE LOVER wrote on May 12, 2012 8:34 AM:

    " We need to save the bees. "

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