Hobbies And Interests
Africanized Honey Bees
The Africanized honey bee, sometimes called the killer bee, is a hybrid of the domestic honey bee and an African bee introduced to South America to increase honey yields. But their swarming, aggressive nature can cause an attack resulting in anaphylactic shock, circulatory failure and death. Fortunately, your chances of dying from a deadly bee attack are equal to the odds of being struck by lightning. If an attack occurs, your best option is to cover your face and run, getting indoors or into a car, if possible. There are reports of bees following fleeing people for a distance of ¼ mile from a hive or nest.
Mites
Mites such as ticks and chiggers feed on animal blood. These killer insects transmit disease-causing pathogens and viruses. Mites can share Rocky Mountain spotted fever with their victims, and if untreated the illness can cause death eight days after its symptoms begin. Painless but potentially deadly tick bites usually go unnoticed until an infection becomes apparent.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are to blame for the deaths of more than 2 million of the world's people in recent years. Its malaria-spreading ability makes the mosquito a deadly insect. Malaria is a protozoan parasite that spends part of its life living in Anopheles mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are also carriers of West Nile virus. In 2009, this virus resulted in 32 fatalities in the United States.