Well, I think I got my answer via email today
So, I will call a bee removal company and follow their recommendations for disposal of the bees. It may just be that the only good AHB is a dead one. Perhaps if I make a shift in my thinking, and try to look at it from the point of view that perhaps it will help preserve the colonies of our native bees, then I have not done such a bad thing.......................
For those of you who have been following the thread, or are curious about the status of Arizona bees, here is the response I got from Dr. Stephen Buchmann in Tucson. (If you do an internet search, his name comes up everywhere with regards to bees.) He was entomologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. I am not sure if he is still affiliated with that program. He recently published a new book "Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey and Humankind",so, I feel very confident about the advice he had to give:
Hello Debbie,
Sorry, but I don't have the information you need. You might try a
local firestation, sometimes they have the names of beekeepers
willing to remove swarms. Or, you might contact someone at the
USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center on 2000 E. Allen Rd.. They
should have lists of local beekeepers. Unfortunately, since all of
the bees in Tucson (assume you are in Tucosn) are now Africanized,
beekeepers don't want to come out and get agressive bees to
incorporate into their apiaries. I hate to kill bees as much (more,
actually) than the next person) but you can have a serious health
risk to your family, pets and neighbors if you have AHB's on your
property.
Best Regards,
Steve
Stephen Buchmann, President
The Bee Works
1870 W. Prince Road, Suite 16
Tucson, Arizona 85705
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Thank you for letting me post, and read thru other posts on the forum :D
I have certainly learned alot, and I hope that I contributed in some small way to your lovely forum.
All my best-
Debbie