Transcript Africanized Honey Bees Know the Facts

Dangerous Critters
in Florida
By
Martha Thomas
Lake County Livestock Agent
Protecting Farm Workers

Educate employees about critters
 Description
of animals in the
environment and what to do if
spotted.
Know if employee has a health issue and
have on record.
 Buy sting kits and put in an accessible
location (Work Trucks, Tractor, Barn)
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Keeping Area Safe
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Know where critters
are hiding!
Investigate sightings
Take occasions to hunt
them down and
exterminate.
If it is dangerous you
may need to call an
exterminator.
Poisonous Spiders
There are five species of venomous
spiders in Florida.
 The four widow species are all about ½”
long with legs extended.
 Females lay about 250 eggs in a pearshaped egg sac that is about ½” to 5/8” in
diameter.
 The eggs hatch in about 20 days.

Southern Black Widow

Most widespread in Florida. It is glossy
black with a complete hourglass marking
on the underside of the abdomen.
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Found under rocks and boards and around
old buildings.
Symptoms of Bite

Bite feels like tiny pin prick.
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Initial pain disappears rapidly, leaving
local swelling and two tiny red marks.
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Muscular cramps, pain in abdomen,
nausea, sweating, and difficulty breathing.
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Death can occur depending on victims
physical condition.
Red Widow
Black abdomen and reddish-orange head,
thorax and legs.
 Top of abdomen usually has a row of red
spots with yellow borders. This spider
lacks a complete hourglass on the
underside of the abdomen and instead
usually has one or two small red marks.
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Red Widow Habitat
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Red Widow’s construct their webs in palmettos and
has been found primarily in sand-pine scrub
habitats in central and southeast Florida.
Brown Widow
This spider varies from light
Gray to light brown to black.
 Abdomen has variable markings of black,
white, red and yellow.
 The underside has orange or yellow
hourglass.
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Brown Widow Habitat

Found most often south of
Daytona Beach along the coast.

It usually makes its web on buildings in
well-lighted areas.
Brown Recluse Habitat
Found in sheds, garages or
areas of homes that are
undisturbed and contain a supply of
insects to serve as food.
 Persons bitten usually do not feel pain for
two to three hours.
 Blister arises at the site of the bite,
followed by inflammation. Skin dies and
takes six to eight weeks to heal.

Not an established species in
Florida.
 Recognized by the distinctive dark violinshaped mark located on the head and
thorax.
 1/4” to ½” long light tan to deep reddishbrown.
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If Bitten

Preserve spider in rubbing alcohol for
positive identification.

If you suspect it was a venomous spider
get medical attention immediately.
Venomous Snakes in Florida
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Six Species
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Vipers have vertical (cat-like)
pupils and a deep facial pit
between each eye and nostril.
They have blocky, triangular
shaped heads that are broader
than their necks.
Cotton Mouth/Water Moccasin
Most aquatic of Florida’s venomous snakes
and occur throughout the state.
 About 3’ long.
 Adults are dark-colored and may have a
faint cross band pattern or be a uniform
black.
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Copperhead
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Small area in
Panhandle west of
Tallahassee. Primarily
along Apalachicola
River and its
tributaries.
<3’ long with light
brown to grey and
dark brown colors.
Hourglass shape that
makes exceptional
camouflage in forests.
Eastern Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake
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Very Dangerous
Florida’s largest venomous snake may exceed 6’ in
length.
Lives in dry habitats such as pinelands, scrub, and
golf courses.
Some individuals may not rattle, even when they
are poised to strike.
Timber Rattlesnake
(Canebrake Rattlesnake)
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Only found in Northern Florida as far south as
Gainesville and in limited portions of the
Panhandle.
Prefers moist pinelands, river bottomlands,
and hammocks.
Pinkish-gray to tan body color with prominent,
irregularly-shaped, dark marks and bands.
Large thick heads and there may be a band
running from each eye to the rear of the
head.
Pygmy Rattlesnake
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Smallest of Florida’s venomous snakes, exist in
the entire state except the keys. Rarely exceed
20” in length.
Live in pine flatwoods, oak scrub, open pinelands,
and palm hammocks.
Bodies are covered with numerous dark blotches
with a row of darker blotches running down the
middle of the snake’s back.
Coral Snake
Many habitats throughout the state but
are seldom encountered because they are
quite secretive and spend much of their
lives underground.
 Rarely longer than 30” and no bigger
around that a quarter.
 Red and Yellow Will Kill a Fellow
Red and Black Friend of Jack
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Africanized Honey Bees (AHB)
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Most noticeable characteristic is that it responds
quickly to disturbances by people and animals 50
feet or more from the nest.
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AHB can sense vibrations from power equipment
100 feet or more from the nest.
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AHB will chase enemy up to a mile or more.
Apiculture Activity
In Africa they use bee hunting rather than
bee keeping. Therefore, bees became
more aggressive to protect themselves
and therefore are unpredictable in
behavior.
 European honey be population in the U.S
has been selected by beekeepers for
manageable traits (gentleness, reduced
swarming, high honey hoarding.
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AHB Characteristics
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Smaller than European bee and constructs
cone with smaller cells.
Nest in smaller cavities and sometimes
underground.
AHB Affect on Public
Decreased recreation and tourism
 Liability issues in judicial system and
insurance industry.
 Loss of honey bees for crop pollination
which are vital to our economy and food
supply.
 Reduced availability and higher costs of
certain foods may result.
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Protecting Farm From AHB
Remove potential nesting site
 Inspect exterior walls and eaves
 Seal openings > 1/8”
 Install screens over vents, rain spouts,
utility boxes and tree cavities
 Inspect area for bee activity during peak
swarming season (spring through fall)
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Bee Safety Precautions
Listen for buzzing and look for bees
entering or leaving an area, indicating a
nest or swarm
 Carefully enter areas where bees might be
nesting
 Examine area before using noisy
equipment or penning livestock
 Never disturb a swarm or colony of bees
contact pest control company to remove
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Locating Colony
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Stay Away
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Protect face and eyes
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Take Shelter in enclosed area (Vehicle,
house) Not water source they will wait
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Contact Pest Control Company
If Stung
Scrape stingers from skin with a blunt
object as soon as possible. If not done,
venom will continue to be injected over
time.
 Wash with soap and water and apply ice.
 If allergic reaction occurs seek medical
attention immediately.
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AHB Effects
AHB brought disaster to South and Central
America beekeeping. Beekeepers were
not prepared for the large, wild population
of AHB which invaded their area.
 They saw their own bees change rapidly
and could not cope with the intense
stinging behavior.
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U.S. Bee Industry
Beekeepers must exterminate wild bee
nests to protect their managed bees from
resource competition.
 Where wild populations of AHB build up,
there will be reduction in forage
availability.
 Frequent re-queening, loss of apiary
locations, and resource competition will all
add to the cost and labor of beekeeping
operations
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Lyme’s Disease
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Lyme disease is caused by the
bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
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This bacterium is transmitted
between mammals by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which
is also called the deer tick.
Deer Tick
3 Host Life Cycle
Symptoms of Lyme’s Disease
Rash, around the site of the tick bite that
appears within 3 days to 3 weeks after the
bite.
 The rash expands into a bull's eye pattern.
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Other symptoms include fever, flu-like
symptoms, chills, headache, and extreme
fatigue.
Symptoms of Lyme’s Disease
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These may appear weeks to months after
the initial symptoms
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Joints - arthritis in the knee, elbow and
wrist
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Nervous system - headache, stiff neck,
facial paralysis
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Heart - myocarditis, heart block
Protection
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There are many cases
each year that cannot
be attributed to out of
state travel.
Best protection is
wearing insect
repellent containing
DEET concentration at
10-15%
Check self, children,
and pets after being in
tick habitat and
remove promptly.
References
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Venomous Spiders in Florida D.E. Short and J.L. Castner
Recognizing Florida’s Venomous Snakes Steve A. Johnson and Martin
B. Main
Lyme Disease in Florida1 Cynthia C. Lord and C. Roxanne Rutledge
Connelly2
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