Bee attack in France | Should we fear urban hives?

Affairs raised on the roof of a hotel in France recently attacked 24 passers -by, 3 of whom were hospitalized urgently. An episode that raises questions about the multiplication of hives¹ in urban areas, as in Montreal.

What happened in France?

Last Sunday in the morning, thousands of bees from a hive located on the roof terrace of a hotel in Aurillac, in the center of the country, melted on passers-by, creating panic. In all, 24 people have been bitten, some many times. Three victims had to be transported by ambulance to the hospital “in absolute emergency”, said the prefecture. The attack created “a situation of chaos”, testified the mayor of this city of some 26,000 inhabitants.

Why have these bees become aggressive?

Bees may have reacted to the threat of Asian hornets (Velutin) advanced the mayor. The authorities responsible for the investigation said they consider all the avenues.

The Asian hornet (Velutin) is present in France, but not in Quebec. If the hive of Aurillac had already been attacked by these hornets, it may have “a predisposition” to react thus, but other hypotheses “come much more easily to the idea”, indicates the entomologist Etienne Normandin.

Certain strains of “more rustic” bees have desired features of beekeepers (more abundant honey production, better resistance to cold or disease). “It can come with more rustic behavior too, with, perhaps, a higher aggression rate. This is the case of the Africanized Bee ”, illustrates the coordinator of the Entomologique Ouel-Robert collection of the University of Montreal.

The other hypothesis is that of a swarming, when the queen leaves the hive with thousands of workers. “They protect the queen, so if the swarming was in a place where passers -by could not see it, they could have been attacked as well. »»

The swarming occurs naturally when an abundance of pollen leads to a strong increase in the population. The heat wave that had struck Aurillac in the previous days could also have played a role. “When there is overwhelming heat […]the colony can become aggressive and go out. A very cloudy sky can also make the farm bees more aggressive. “Sometimes, too, it’s a bit of chance. For a week, a hive will be great and the other week, it is a little more aggressive. »»

Does this question urban beekeeping?

In Aurillac, the mayor said he wanted to “see what legal means we have to prohibit the presence of these apia”.

A swarming of bees agglutinated on a balcony or a bicycle is impressive, and it is necessary to stay remotely, but in “general rule, the swarms are quite calm”, underlines however Sarah Breger, coordinator in education and research at Polliflora. The City of Montreal calls on this cooperative to recover and move the swarms of bees reported in its territory. “We cannot know where a swarm comes from”, but it is not excluded that some escape urban hives.

“An attack from a hive is very rare, but it is something that we should consider when we add so many hives,” said Gail Macinnis, president of Pollinature, a research and conservation organization dedicated to pollinators.

At Pollinature as at Polliflora, we consider that there are too many urban hives in Montreal. This is also the opinion of Mr. Normandin. The sharp increase in the number of honey bees would harm the diversity of wild bees, suggests a study published in 2023 of which M^me Macinnis and Mr. Normandin were the main authors.

Is the population protected?

Quebec requires that the hive be placed at least 15 meters from a home or a public road, and recorded at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ).

“Too long, and even today, people do not record it in MAPAQ. […] We still do not have a very real portrait of the situation in Montreal, ”deplores Mr. Normandin.

The island of Montreal had more than 2,900 hives in 2020, 12 times more than in 2013, estimated the team of researchers of which it was a part in 2023.

The MAPAQ registration form does not require the exact location of the hive, only its municipality. And the ministry does not publish this data.

“There are certain areas, such as downtown Montreal and its surroundings, for which we no longer accept hives requests, because we consider the honey resources present as insufficient,” said Mr.^me Breger, from chick.

Gatineau, where urban beekeepers must obtain a municipal license before installing a hive²“Has a good regulatory system,” said Mr.^me Macinnis, who would like to see Montreal map her hives.

The province has at least 1079 leaders of apiaries, including 60 in Montreal, show the figures provided by MAPAQ. These data are based on the owner’s address, regardless of the location of the bees. The number of owners could also be higher, if some requests are still being processed.

Do passers-by often get stuck?

Quebec does not hold statistics on consultations for bee stings. A person victim of multiple insect bites can have a toxic reaction to venom, signals the committee of standards, equity, health and labor safety (CNESST). “If a person has more than 20 bites, they should be watched by a doctor in the hospital,” said the CNESST.

– with information from TF1, France Bleu and M6

1. Consult the study Decline in wild bee species richness associated with honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) abundance in an urban ecosystem (in English)

2. Consult the regulation of the city of Gatineau

Consult the page on the CNESST bites

Consult the government page on urban beekeeping