Some SoCal communities begin seeing 'unusual' aggressive bee behavior

Leo Stallworth Image
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Some SoCal communities begin seeing 'unusual' aggressive bee behavior
There is a serious aggressive bees problem in parts of Southern California.

ENCINO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There is a serious aggressive bees problem in parts of Southern California.



One city, Pasadena, is hiring a bee expert to deal with the vicious swarms of bees, and another, Encino, is still reeling from the shocking attack on a volunteer police officer on Monday that left the man in the hospital.



Bee experts, such as Izak Kharrazi, say the aggressive bee behavior is unusual for the species, who he says do not attack humans unprovoked. The aggressive bees in Encino must have been "disturbed," he said.



Kharazzi was called to deal with army of bees that injured two people in Encino on Monday, and he says he was surprised that the hive immediately attacked him during his encounter.



"The minute I tried to open my door, the bees were trying to swarm me," he said.



The aggressive bee attack happened in the 17000 block of Adlon Road in Encino. The volunteer officer was taken to a hospital, along with another victim attacked by the bees.



The LAPD tells Eyewitness News the injured officer remains in the hospital and is recovering just fine. No word on the condition of the other victim.



Eyewitness News visited Kharazzi at his home on Tuesday, where he showed how humans and bees can live together in harmony.



Kharazzi stuck his hand in a beehive, and did not get stung.



However, Eyewitness News reporter Leo Stallworth stood within what he was told was a safe distance from the hive, but was stung "where the sun don't shine" at some point during his visit.



Kharazzi said he had no choice but to poison the aggressive bees in Encino. He's even been hired to remove the beehive, ensuring bees don't come back anytime soon.



"When they are vicious like that, I don't want to capture those bees and bring them to my nice bees over here," he said.



Meanwhile, in Pasadena, city officials have instituted a measure that will have a bee expert relocate aggressive bees in light of a recent vicious attack there.


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