Efforts are on to ease the public’s fear of bees.
That’s according to Damien Hinds, Vice-president of the Barbados Apiculture Association and National Programme Technical Officer with the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA). He made the comments during a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate, as he referred to the incident a few months ago where a St. Philip man lost his life after being attacked by a swarm of bees. He acknowledged that since that incident more persons have expressed a fear of bees, but he says that bee attacks was an anomaly.
“Yes we learnt about the episode a few months ago now where a man actually died as a result of bee stings, but I assure you this is one in the million, this is not the normal experience that people would get when they encounter bees. So we are trying to sensitise the population about how to deal with bees when they see them, who to call if they have an episode of bees in their neighbourhoods or in their homes so as to try to allay the fears,” Hinds stated.
The Vice President of the Barbados Apiculture Association is advising the public that should they encounter bees, persons should not panic as bees will detect their fear or nervousness. With that in mind, he said that should a person be stung, they should head as quickly as possible away from the bees and protect themselves. Moreover, he is advising persons not to attempt to move a bee hive themselves, but to enlist the services of an expert.
“If bees are to be removed it is best to call an experienced beekeeper to avoid injury and to best protect the bees. For bee removal services the public can contact the Barbados Apiculture Association via the Barbados Agricultural Society,” he added.
His comments came as he indicated that there has been an increase in calls to remove hives. He revealed that since Arbor Day 2016 the Association has been inundated with such calls. (JRT)