The fire department is seeing an increase in calls regarding bee activity. As the seasons change and the weather warms up, it is common for the community to see an increase in bee activity. In most instances the bees are harmless if left alone. To increase your awareness and safety the Maricopa Fire Department (MFD) offers the below safety tips.

If bees are in the area:

• Stay indoors.
• Close all windows and doors.
• Do not attempt to move bees (don't throw objects at the swarm or squirt with water).
• Typically swarms are transient - they may set up temporary shelter in a tree for a few hours or even days before moving on.
• Swarms close to day care centers, schools, or densely populated areas (large apartment complexes or trailer parks) may need to be removed by a professional beekeeper if they do not leave the area in a reasonable amount of time or are showing aggressive behavior.
• Property owners are responsible for arranging beekeeper or exterminator services.
• The Fire Department is unable to eradicate bee swarms or remove bee hives and does not typically respond to swarms of bees unless special circumstances are present (such as aggressive, attacking bees that cannot be isolated from the public by reasonable means).
• Killing non-Africanized swarms only strengthens the Africanized population. Non-aggressive bees are essential in nature.

In case of a life threatening emergency call 9-1-1.

For more information or for any question, please contact the MFD PIO at (520) 251-3888.