MATHIS, Texas — A neighborhood in Mathis is dealing with Africanized bees, commonly known as "killer bees," raising concerns for residents and their pets.
Al Pacheco discovered a hive of aggressive Africanized bees in a tire near his home.
"We have a hive of bees that seem pretty aggressive," Pacheco said.
According to Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Africanized bees have been in South Texas since the fall of 1990, spreading to 163 of the 254 counties in Texas. Research shows the Africanized bee is only slightly different from the honey bee, but the danger they pose is significant.
"They're super dangerous. They can and they will hurt you, or they can and will kill you," Rick Sanchez, a bee removal expert, said.
Sanchez reports a dramatic increase in Africanized bee hives in the region.
"In 2024, I did 16 Africanized hives in one season. 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 said.
Sanchez works all over South Texas, including Mathis, Flour Bluff, Calallen, and Portland, where he mentioned a recent bee attack occurred.
"Some dogs died there, I don't know exactly all the details, but they were attacked," Sanchez said.
The City of Portland confirmed they have received three reports of bee swarms within city limits over the past four months.
Sanchez believes human development is contributing to the problem.
"Man is 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 suggests what we need are more beekeepers.
"We need to take care of our bees because we need them so badly and nothing grows without bees," Sanchez said.
Most experts acknowledge that while bee removals are necessary, they often try to save the bees for pollination purposes.
