100,000 African Bees Destroyed After Attack at South Tampa Park

An exterminator has removed and destoryed a hive of 100,000 African killer bees at Picnic Island Beach Park in South Tampa, but warns residents to be on the lookout for more colonies in the area, according to ABC Action News.

The killer bees swarmed two city workers last week at the .

Rodney Pugh, the city worker, told ABC: "It felt like thousand little knives," when dozens of bees stung him.

City worker David Zeledon told TBO.com that he fell down twice as he ran across the road to get away. Zeldon was stung more than a hundred times, as a cloud of bees chased the men.

The men ran behind a park office and hosed themselves off with water, then took shelter inside. Both were treated at a local hospital with antibiotics.

 Jonathan Simkins, an entomologist with Insect I.Q. warned ABC News that: "This pile of rubbish wasn't moved for three years.  So this colony's been breeding and sending out colonies.  The African bee will swarm up to 17 times."

Although the bees resemble the honey bee, Simkins says that their aggressiveness indicates that they are African bees. African bees swarm quickly and attack in greater numbers, though they are no more venomous than a regular honeybee.

The bees may have arrived in the South Tampa park from a ship at the nearby port.