Killer bees could be becoming more common

MATHIS, Texas (KRIS) - A neighborhood in the city of Mathis, Texas, is being terrorized by bees.

“Yes, we have a hive that’s basically, the bees look ... like they’re pretty aggressive,” one resident, Al Pacheco, said.

Pacheco discovered they’re Africanized bees, which concerns him.

“Because we have pets and everything else, you need to be very careful when you approach bees or, better yet, don’t approach bees at all,” he said.

According to Texas A&M Agrilife Research, Africanized bees have been in South Texas since the fall of 1990 and have spread to 163 of the 254 counties in Texas.

Research shows the Africanized bee is slightly different from the honey bee.

“They’re super dangerous. They can and they will hurt you, or they can and will kill you,” Rick Sanchez said.

Sanchez is a bee removal expert and has been busy.

“In 2024, I did 16 Africanized hives that one season,” he said. “This year, in 2025, this is going to be number 36 of the Africanized killer bees here in South Texas. That’s a lot of increase, a lot of population explosion.”

Sanchez is working all over South Texas, including in Portland, Texas, where he said a bee attack happened recently.

“Some dogs died there, I don’t know exactly all the details, but they were attacked,” he said.

The city of Portland reported that in the past four months, it received three reports of bee swarms within city limits.

“Man, it’s getting so industrialized and so into technology that they’re forgetting about nature and they’re leaving it unchecked,” Sanchez said.

Texas Apiary Inspection is taking an aggressive approach to slow the spread of Africanized bees in the state. Sanchez suggested there is a need for more beekeepers.

“We need to take care of our bees because we need them so badly and nothing grows without bees,” he said.

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