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Given the recent attack on Camelback and the lack of a topic specifically called "Bee repellent," perhaps the time has come for such a thread.

I've read the topic called "Bug Repellent" at viewtopic.php?t=2017.

Will bees (and wasps/yellowjackets/tarantula hawks/etc.) also be repelled by the same things, e.g., DEET?

By the way, if you don't know about tarantula hawks, check out this article http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2010/0 ... big-sting/. My friend and I think we saw some smaller cousins of the monster in the picture in Secret Canyon just north of Sedona.

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a bee repellant. Bugs bite as part of their diet and therefore can be repelled by artificially convincing them that you are not a source of food.

Bees sting people in an act of self-defense. So just as there is no "repellant" that would prevent a snake from striking you if it felt threatened there is no repellant that will keep bees from attacking if you have threatened their hive.

@paulshikleejr
There are plenty of tarantula hawk wasps around, but I have never seen one half as big as that one looks!

Smoke is the only thing that I know of that repels bees.

gummo wrote:Smoke is the only thing that I know of that repels bees.

I knew there was a reason I haven't quit smoking yet.....

For once Chumley is right, bees won't attack without being provoked or if they feel their territory or hive is being threatened they will sting. I don't want to come across as a bee expert or anything, I certainly am not, but I am nearly fatally allergic if stung above the waist so I like to know how bees work!
It is possible to walk through a swarm of bees that are gathering pollen and they won't even look your way. But if the same swarm was buzzing around it's hive they will do anything to keep you away.
About a month ago I was in the squaw peak area with a friend coming down a trail I spotted a pile of trash, so I bounced off trail to pick it up and encountered a HUGE hive tucked under a large rock, they swarmed around me, I probably could have panicked and been stung half to death but the best thing to do is hold your breath or breathe through your sleeve and staaay calm...that's what I did.
Somehow I backed out of their hive area with only a sting to my thigh but they were not happy. We got out of there as fast as possible, but don't try to out run bees, just like dogs, if you run away from them they'll feel like you did something wrong and will chase you down to prevent your return.

Smoke will deter them, a bee suit always helps and jumping into a lake or pond will only work half the time, bees are patient and they will wait for you to surface for air. I know this from experience!!! Just...avoid bee hives...really, it's a lot easier that way.

HippyHaley wrote:For once Chumley is right

HippyHaley wrote:Just...avoid bee hives...really, it's a lot easier that way.

Pooh says it's impossible to get the delicious honey if you avoid their hives.

Don't let it go to your head. plz:

HippyHaley wrote:they swarmed around me, I probably could have panicked and been stung half to death but the best thing to do is hold your breath or breathe through your sleeve and staaay calm...that's what I did.

I agree, stay as calm as possible and don't swat at them or flail your arms.

HippyHaley wrote:We got out of there as fast as possible, but don't try to out run bees, just like dogs, if you run away from them they'll feel like you did something wrong and will chase you down to prevent your return.

But, Haley, I'm having a real hard time with this one and feel that I need to pipe up. Everything I have read about Bee Attacks states that if you are literally being attacked and stung, that you should run! See the Link from the U of A that I have included in this post. It has been mentioned that probably one of the reasons that the kids on Camelback were stung as much as they were, is because they had nowhere to run....

Bees and Dogs cannot be compared at all. Bees sting out of Defense and are not necessarily "turned on" by a person running. A Dog most certainly is. Dogs still retain the Predator/Prey Instinct of their Wolf Ancestors. A person on a Bike or a Person running by, awakens that Instinct, and it is completely natural for a Dog to give chase, awakening that Predator Instinct. Someone who is running is more likely to get bit than someone who stands completely still and faces the Dog in a non-threatening, but staunch manner. If you are ever Biking or Running and see a Dog, the best thing to do is get off the Bike, or quit Running and walk very calmly past the Dog, before picking up your pace again. Even if the Dog is on a Leash!!! Quite a few Runners have been bitten as they run by a Leashed Dog that suddenly lunges...

Anyway, sorry Haley, had to put my in on this one. This is a good link with some very helpful information.

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/ahb/inf18.html

Outdoor Love is right. You should run from a bee swarm. I outran two swarms successfully. European honey bees will follow you for about 100ft and African honey bees will follow you for about a mile.

gummo wrote:African honey bees will follow you for about a mile.

@Outdoor Lover
You all have fun running I was told the same thing RUN!!!! But honestly I ran once from five or six bees and ended up with a few dozen dive bombing me I was stung all over it was awful I blacked out I will never run again. You all do whatever you want I just know what makes me comfortable in such a situation

HippyHaley wrote:For once Chumley is right, bees won't attack without being provoked or if they feel their territory or hive is being threatened they will sting.

Africanized bees have much lower tolerance for being disturbed than European bees.

nonot wrote:Africanized bees have much lower tolerance for being disturbed than European bees.

Maybe we should just not be disturbing bees...kinda seems the sensible thing to do...or maybe we can get crafty and attached smokey sticks of incense to our packs if hiking in bee territory, or maybe not, then the "normal" folk will think we're even weirder than we are...smelling like hippies and all.

After reading the excellent article cited in Outdoor Lover's post above, I became curious as to whether something that could be called "bee repellent" existed but just wasn't known to me or (I guess) others on this forum.

I contacted a friendly neighborhood entomologist at U of A's MAC (the organization that houses that article and related materials) and she gave me the bad news:

"... there is no effective repellent that I am aware of ..."

She did say that "DEET will repel bees from water fountains or areas for a short period of time (just an hour or so), but it is not going to be protective against defensive bee stings." However, when I asked her "Am I inferring correctly that DEET might be somewhat useful for a short while in keeping bees away from a campsite?" she replied

"I don't believe you could effectively exclude bees from a campsite, sorry. You would have to apply so much DEET it's likely people could become quite ill. DEET is one of the active ingredients in some mosquito repellents, it's generally applied to clothing and skin as a mosquito repellent, but has been used as a temporary bee repellent around specific water sources. It should in no way be applied to large areas."

She did also reiterate

"Wearing white clothing will make you less noticeable compared to black or dark colors. Loose, baggy clothing can also minimize stings making it through to the skin. Most importantly be vigilant when out hiking, and if you encounter a colony make carful progress directly away from the bees. Bees foraging for pollen in trees will not be defensive unless swatted at, trapped, or bothered."

She approved my sharing this information with everyone (encouraged it, in fact).