Africanized Bees Kill Pit Bull in El Centro
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SAN DIEGO — Africanized “killer” bees claimed their first fatality in California since migrating to the United States seven years ago: a dog tied to a tree where they were nesting.
The pit bull, named Killer, was in the backyard of an El Centro home when it was stung by a swarm of the aggressive bees last week.
“This is the first confirmed death of an animal or person by Africanized bees in California,” Myrlys L. Williams, spokeswoman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture, said Tuesday.
The death marks the sixth stinging episode in California since Africanized honey bees were first detected in October 1994. Five of the incidents were in Imperial County; one was in Riverside County.
In all, eight people and two dogs have been stung.
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