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Incident Record

First confirmed Africanized honey bee discovery in Arizona involved small dog stung to death

Africanized honey bees were first discovered in Arizona after a colony established in the roof of a Tucson house stung a small dog to death on June 6, 1993. The colony was examined by experienced beekeepers and federal and state scientists.

Record ID: AZ-PIMA-1993-0606
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This record is part of a first-pass incident research dataset. Records, categories, and source notes may be updated as additional information is reviewed and verified.
Date 6/6/1993
Location Tucson, Pima County, AZ
State AZ
Record Type Historical Public Awareness Record
Trigger / Activity Residential / Property Exposure
Severity Animal Fatality
Bee ID Status Confirmed Africanized
Aggression Classification Defensive colony response

Incident Summary

Africanized honey bees were first discovered in Arizona after a colony established in the roof of a Tucson house stung a small dog to death on June 6, 1993. The colony was examined by experienced beekeepers and federal and state scientists.

Public-Safety Lesson

The first confirmed Arizona AHB discovery involved a residential roof colony and an animal fatality, showing why structure colonies near pets and homes deserve caution.

Impact Flags

Human Fatality No
Human Hospitalized No
Animal Fatality Yes
Responder Involved No

Source Information

Source: Today in Science History / historical summary

Source Strength: C