What should you do when attacked by bees?

Identify unusual bee behaviors early and handle them properly. Here are some things to remember to help you avoid a bee attack.

Don't wave your hands to chase away the bees

According to Dr. Justin O. Schmidt, an entomologist with expertise in insects and arthropods, said most people do not have the proper knowledge about how to get rid of bees.

This comes from our first reaction when approached by bees, which is to wave our hands or swing something at them, to chase them away.

Bee venom can be deadly (Photo: Getty).

Unfortunately, for bees, that doesn't signal "go away." This is actually a sign that looks like a huge predator is about to attack them.

If a beehive is nearby, you are in danger, as bees tend to protect their nests.

"Don't do that ," Schmidt insisted. "The bees feel threatened and their natural reaction is to rush towards you together to protect the queen."

It also doesn't help if you kill a bee. Because this will cause the killed bee to emit an "alarming smell" , and their fellow bees will come to the scene to find out.

Run and hold your breath

Bees don't always attack. But if they do this, you need to recognize it early and handle it promptly (Photo: Getty).

So, if we cannot resist them, what should we do?

According to guidelines from Saguaro National Park, part of the US Department of the Interior, if a bee colony thinks you are a predator, they will first send a few worker bees to transmit a warning message.

Their expression looks like they are "headbutting" you. According to experts, when you see bees doing this, it is absolutely not accidental.

If you receive this message, leave the vicinity immediately, as what comes next could be a full-scale bee attack.

In fact, with bees, your most primitive instinct - to run - is always correct.

"Don't hesitate to run away, don't fight them , " Dr. Schmidt shared. "All your efforts will cause hundreds of other bees to come."

Dr. Schmidt also said that a bee's main sense is smell. Meaning they can navigate through scent.

Taking advantage of this, you can avoid the "sight " of bees by holding your breath.

"If you hold your breath, you can blind them in a moment. Take advantage of the opportunity to escape from them ," Dr. Schmidt said.

The dangers of bees

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the period 2000-2017, in the US alone there were a total of 1,109 deaths caused by wasp, wasp and bee stings, There are an average of 62 deaths every year.

The number of deaths ranged from a low of 43 in 2001 to a high of 89 in 2017. Of these, about 80% of deaths were in men.

Bee venom can kill an adult mainly through an anaphylactic reaction.

This occurs when the immune system releases large amounts of mediators to neutralize the venom. This reaction of the body can cause shock and even be life-threatening.

According to statistics in some regions of the world, the rate of anaphylactic shock in Europe is about 4-5 cases/10,000 people, and the US is 58.9 cases/100,000 people.

Although Vietnam does not have statistics, it actually records many deaths due to anaphylactic shock.