The buzz on terrorism





Steve Martaindale is a self-syndicated columnist. Write him at penmanmailsteve@ yahoo.com.

Steve Martaindale is a self-syndicated columnist. Write him at penmanmailsteve@ yahoo.com.

Our country is under attack. Terrorists who look just like those who have inhabited the United States for generations are slipping across the border with Mexico undetected. Once here, they often go underground or brazenly infiltrate established societies.

Then, without warning, they attack, causing great misery and sometimes even earning their nickname of “killer bees.”

Like a B movie, it would be easy
to blow out of proportion the effects Africanized honey bees have had on us, but what got my attention several weeks ago was a news story about a couple that was attacked here in Texas. Impressive enough were their accounts of the tremendous number of bees and the hundreds of stings they endured, but what really stuck with me was the suddenness of the attacks.

They both said they never saw the bees coming, but that they were immediately swarmed. I think one of them described the initial assault as like receiving a blow. What should a person do?

Turns out that the best advice is really simple. Run away as fast as you can and seek shelter in a building or automobile.

Run and hide

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, we know that it may be difficult to think through all of that if hundreds or thousands of stinging insects are covering your body. That is why I have been trying to imprint the proper reaction on friends and family, so that we can react properly and quickly if in that situation.

Some other tidbits: Do not stand and swat as it only agitates the bees further. Try to cover your face and mouth, as the bees don’t mind crawling inside. Do not try to hide inside dense vegetation; if you can get into it, so can the bees. Do not dive into water; the bees will be waiting for you when you come up for air.

All of this information has worked its way into my little mind and now has me looking for bees all of the time. When I was mowing this weekend, I was constantly evaluating the situation. “I’ll turn off the PTO so the tractor keeps running … the noise and vibration may attract some of them away from me. It’s about a hundred yards to the house; the front door is closer. I’m wearing a dust mask, so I should be able to breathe. The sunglasses might keep them off my eyes for a little while, but I suspect some will try to crawl underneath and I’ll soon knock off the glasses.” And so on.

Leah was working in the garden when a bee flew by. There was a time that she would hardly have paid attention, but this time she went on alert and immediately scanned her surroundings to see if she had disturbed a hidden hive.

It was said a few years ago that, if terrorists altered our lifestyle too much, they have won. I understand that, but the idea of blithely ignoring the threat of Africanized honey bees and not being prepared to react appropriately seems to set up a situation where they actually can win. So, I will try to file my bee reaction plan into a rapidly obtainable section of my head and go about life like normal … almost.

PS – For some good information about how to protect
yourself and your property, try the Web site at honeybee.tamu. edu/safety.



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