Africanized Bees Attack Woman, Kill Dogs at Home on Main Street

Africanized bees and normal honey bees look alike.

Carolyn Smith, who lives at 900 Main, was stung over a hundred times and her two small Schnauzer dogs were killed by bee stings on Sunday afternoon. The Africanized bees, also known as "killer bees," are a particularly aggressive strain, and their presence in Roscoe is not good news as more trouble may be on the way later on when the weather gets warmer.

The bees, which were in the roof of an old storage shed in the home’s back yard, attacked Ms. Smith and her two dogs there. A former beekeeper, Doyle Mitchell of Loraine, was called. He smoked them, which makes them more docile, and then killed them all.

Mitchell says that the Africanized bees, which are a mix of the African and domestic honey bees, look just like normal honey bees, so you can’t tell the two apart by their appearance. The Africanized ones also pollinate plants and otherwise act just like normal bees until they feel threatened. That’s when their difference comes out because they are much more aggressive and prone to attack in large numbers.

Mitchell cautions people to be careful around places where the bees might have a colony, places such as attics, old tires, hollow trees, or water meters. He says a Loraine man was stung over 500 times last summer and almost died when he flipped over a plastic horse-watering pan with his foot. Mitchell also adds that if you do locate a swarm or colony of bees, under no circumstances should you splash them with soapy water or spray them with WD-40 or hornet or wasp spray. Unlike yellow jackets, they don’t die immediately, and you’re unlikely to get them all anyway. The safe thing to do is to call a pest control company or someone like Doyle Mitchell, who has plenty of experience with bees.

He says you can call him at 325-933-0113 if you find a swarm or colony of bees on your property. If possible, he tries to catch them with a vacuum device and replace the queen with a domestic queen. Then all the bees she propagates will be normal honey bees and will replace all the Africanized bees within a couple of weeks, since that’s the usual life span of bees. 

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TEXAS PRIMARY ELECTION NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 1, EARLY VOTING IN PROGRESS

Precinct 6 voting will take place in the Community Center.

The Texas Primary Election Day is next Tuesday, March 1, at the Roscoe Community Center for those living in Roscoe’s Precinct 6. Early voting began yesterday and will last through Friday of this week. On Election Day, voting will last from 7am to 7pm. Voting will be by party, and several local offices are being contested as well as state and national.

Terry Willman will run unopposed for County Commissioner, Pct. 1, but other local races are contested. Three candidates are running for County Sheriff: David Warren, Ray Cornutt, and Kevin Turner; and two for District Attorney, 32nd District: John Young and Ricky Thompson.

On the state level, five Republicans are running to take Susan King’s place as State Representative, District 71: Brian Scalf, Chris Carnohan, Isaac Castro, Stacey Scaief, and Stan Lambert. All are from Abilene except Castro, who is from Hamlin. Other contested state races include Railroad Commissioner; Supreme Court Justices, Places 3, 5, and 9; Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Places 2, 5, and 6.

On the national level, several are running to take Randy Neugebauer’s place as U.S. Representative, District 19: Jodey Arrington, Greg Garrett, John Key, Donald May, and Glen Robertson, all from Lubbock; also Michael Bob Starr (Abilene) Jason Corley (Slaton), Don Parrish (Plains), and DeRenda Warren (Smyer).

And of course, Republicans will finally get the chance to vote for the Presidential candidate of their choice: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, or Ben Carson; while Democrats can choose between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Campaign signs for the local elections are all over town.

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MAY 7 ELECTION FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT NECESSARY

The May 7 election set by the Roscoe City Council at its last meeting will be canceled at the Council’s next meeting as it will not be necessary. Only two people, Suzie Alford and Edwin Duncan, signed up to run for the two available Council seats, so each will be sworn in for a new two-year term.

Alford is completing her first two-year term in May, and Duncan was appointed by the Council to complete the term of Ken Brawley, who resigned his position in December for health reasons.

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BEAL, LAVALAIS LISTED AS ALL-STATE FOOTBALL SELECTIONS

Brayden Beal                                         Kevin Lavalais

The Texas Sportswriters Association has named its All-State football teams for all classes, and two Plowboys received Honorable Mention in class 2A. Senior Kevin Lavalais was selected as one of the wide receivers, and junior Brayden Beal was listed as one of the quarterbacks. The 2A teams included both divisions I and II.

Congratulations, Brayden and Kevin!

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SOUTHERN BELLE SALON ADDS COSMETOLOGIST AND MASSAGE THERAPIST

The Southern Belle Salon

Changes are going on at the Southern Belle Salon at 200 Main. The tanning bed is gone, but in addition to getting your hair taken care of, you can now get a manicure and pedicure, and starting next Tuesday, March 1, you’ll also be able to get a massage.

The new cosmetologist is Kristi Graham Stacy, and the new massage therapist is Megan Thompson. For appointments for manicures and pedicures, contact Kristi at 325-660-8476. For massage therapy, phone Megan at 325-236-0187, and for hair care, phone Eden Baker at 325-338-5993.

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HIGHLAND GIRLS FALL TO GRADY IN REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

Lenorah Grady ended the Highland girls’ basketball team quest for another trip to state in Big Spring last night with a 53-49 victory over the Lady Hornets.

The scoring by quarters shows the kind of back and forth game it was:

Highland         13          37          43          49
Grady               18          29          45          53

In a physical contest, the ultimate difference in the outcome was the making of free throws, as the Grady girls rarely if ever missed. Hannah Allen hit some clutch 3-pointers for Highland, but ultimately it wasn't enough.

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DOLLY SHINE AT LUMBERYARD SATURDAY NIGHT

Dolly Shine

Dolly Shine is a Texas Country band from Stephenville that became regulars in Lubbock before going on the road. They bill themselves as a high-energy band with genuine, soul-soothing lyrics, fiddle solos, and penned guitar licks. They have produced the CDs Dolly Shine, Room to Breathe, and All In and are currently working on a new full-length album, Walkabout, due for release in June.

Top singles include “Spinning My Wheels,”  “Should’ve Known,”  “Trouble was Her Name,” and their latest, “Rattlesnake.”

They will take the stage around 9:30pm. For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING

Skies were overcast Sunday and Monday.

The weather this past week was varied to say the least. From Wednesday through Saturday, it was nice and warm with sunny skies, but Sunday was cooler and completely overcast, Monday was even cooler with clouds and a sharp north breeze, and yesterday felt downright cold with overcast skies and again the sharp north breeze. The high temperature of the week came on Friday at 83°F with Thursday at 81° and Saturday at 79° not far behind. Yesterday’s high was only 45° with a strong wind, and with all the warm weather we’d gotten used to, it felt colder than that. The low for the week was this morning’s 31°, and there was ice on the puddle in my driveway.

I should also mention that we finally got a little rain on Monday night, ranging from a quarter up to a half-inch, depending on location. Weatherman Kenny Landfried recorded an official .3” here in town, but I had .36” in my rain gauge. Although it wasn’t much, it was still welcome because it’s the first precipitation we’ve had since January 9 when we got a paltry .05”.

The rain was supposed to come on Saturday and Sunday, but both those days were dry, although we did get a little drizzle on Sunday. Roofers were putting up a new metal roof on my house on Saturday, but they were missing a couple of pieces that cover the ridge, and I was worried they wouldn’t get them up if it did rain. It wasn’t until late Monday afternoon that they finally got everything in place, and about four hours later, it started raining. So, I’m thankful to the rain gods for holding off until my roof was finished.

Today should be warmer with sunny skies and a high of 63°. The low tomorrow morning, however, should be close to freezing. Friday will be warmer with a high of 66° or so, and then the next few days after that will all be sunny with highs in the seventies and lows in the upper forties and low fifties.

The long range forecast is for a 50%-60% chance of rain on Election Day next Tuesday. Let’s hope they’re right this time.

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