Can you see the brown bumpy thing in the center of these photos? That's an africanized bee colony that just moved in a few hours ago. The tree is about 15-20 feet from my front door and I had no idea they were there until my neighbor called and alerted me. My Panamanian neighbors are my biggest blessing since arriving in Panama.
Imagine what a homeowner would go through getting an africanized bee colony removed from their home in the states...
For me, it just involved closing the front door, dialing 103, and speaking to the Boquete Fire Department. Within 20 minutes there was an inspector at my gate who assessed the situation, advised me to stay inside, and said a team would arrive at 6:30 pm to take care of the situation. The team waits until nightfall, because the bees are much calmer then, having settled in for the day.
This is about the fourth time I've had a bee colony in my yard. I've had wasps twice. I always feel bad about having them eradicated, because they're never aggressive toward me and seem to enjoy the yard. (I have several citrus trees and they seem partial to citrus.) But the ugly truth is the firemen will come with protective suits and burn them all in their sleep. These bees can be extremely dangerous to animals and people if provoked, so unfortunately can't be allowed to remain. My cats aren't happy about being relegated to the indoors for several hours.
There is no charge for the bee eradication service, nor for the assessment and control return visit.
