The Michigan Doily - Friday, July 26, 1985 - Page 3
Experts seek to stop
'killer bees 'invasion
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (UPI)-Insect bees may have entered the United
experts fanned out over a 400square States in a container of oil drilling
mile region in California's Central equipment shipped from Latin
Valley yesterday seeking the queen of America.
the first swam of dreaded Africanized BERRYHILL declared an im-
killer bees to establish itself in the mediate embargo on shipment of bee
UnitedStates. hives from the search area until the
Common in Latin America, the in- extent of the killer bee infestation
sects are called "killer bees" because could be determined.
they are aggressive and far more Jan Wessell, spokeswoman for the
likely to attack people and animals state Department of Food and
than any ordinary bees. Agriculture, said the greatest risk to
THE dangerous bee swarm was humans is that "even a slight distur-
discovered last month by a worker at bance can set off a chain reaction af-
an oil field in the semi-desert region fecting the entire swarm."
about 140 miles north of Los Angeles. Killer bees, which look like North
Positive identification of the insects American and European bees, have a
as Africanized bees was completed by far more aggressive nature.
entomologists of the University of "They have been known to chase
California Monday. and sting animals or people within
Large numbers of the bees were approximately 300 feet of a swarm,"
killed by agricultural officials of Wessel said.
California's Kern County who sprayed However, she stressed that the sting
their adopted home in a kit fox is "no more venomous" than that of a
burrow, but no queen for the swarm domestic bee. "There is no evidence
was found afterward. that they cause more human fatalities
"Not finding a queen is not a good than domestic bees," Wessell said.
sign," Howel Daly, professor of en- The "killer bees" had been brought
tomology at the University of Califor- to Brazil from Africa in the mid-1950s
nia's Berkley campus, said. le ad- by a geneticist for a research project.
ded survivors of the spraying and the They escaped from researchers and
queen may have shifted to a new have bred with South American bees,
home. but many retained their highly
State Food and Agriculture Direc- aggressive nature. The bees were last
tor Clare Berryhill theorized that the reported in Central America.
Be prepared Associated Press
A scout emerges from beneath a tarp that was flattened by winds caused by Tropical Storm Bob yesterday.
Hundreds of tents in the Boy Scout National Jamboree in Ft. A.P. Hill, Va. were knocked down by the sudden
winds.
Spokesperson confirms Hudson's illness as AIDS
PARIS (UPI) - Rock Hudson,
onetime matinee idol whose
emaciated looks in a TV appearance
with former co-star Doris Day a week
. ago startled his fans, has been suf-
fering from the usually fatal disease
AIDS for more than a year, a
spokeswoman saidyesterday.
Hudson, 59, had flown to France to
consult a specialist when he fell
seriously ill at the Ritz Hotel in Paris,
his French publicist Yanou Collart
told reporters at the American
Hospital where the actor was admit-
ted Sunday.
"MR. ROCK HUDSON has acquired
immune deficiency syndrome
diagnosed over a year ago in the
United States," Collart said.
"He came to Paris to consult a
specialist. Prior to meeting the
specialist he became very ill at the
Ritz Hotel and his personal business
manager Mark Miller advised him
from California to enter the American
hospital immediately," she said.
She said Hudson was "improving
daily" and doctors had not yet deter-
mined what treatment to give him. "A
decision will be made in the near
future," she said.
THERE HAVE been rumors in
Hollywood for about a year that Hud-
son, known most recently for his TV
roles on "McMillan & Wife" and
"Dynasty," had AIDS. He looked
gaunt and tired at an appearance last
week with Day in Carmel, Calif.
Collart said doctors had conducted
"a series of diagnostic exams" on
Hudson, but hospital spokesman
Bruce Redor declined to comment on
the results of the tests conducted in
Paris.
"All this AIDS stuff is Rock Hudson
and his people," gpdgr said., "It is a
secret what our doctors our doing' knowledge of an AIDS diagnosis, were making days, received a telephone He also starred ina series of romantic
here. It is not French tradition to talk suspected to be caused either by in- call from his old friend President comedies with Day such as "Pillow
about patients." fections or were consistent with Reagan Wednesday. Talk."
COLLART SAID doctors suspected metastatic liver disease," the Hudson is perhaps best known for The Centers for Disease Control in
Hudson was suffering from AIDS, publicist said. his role as the patriarch in the movie Atlanta said that as of July 22, there
which strikes mainly homosexual Miller, who saw Hudson at the classic "Giant," for which he was were 11,871 confirmed cases of AIDS
men and intravenous drug users, but hospital Wednesday, said later the ac- nominated for an Academy Award. resulted in death.
were unaware of the previous tor was "feeling much better" and
Agnusisu,-i;,iAir imormeu^--m, "looks, wonderu." Hudson, who
diagnosis until Miller informed them "ok wndru. Hdswh
after his arrival in Paris Wednesday. stood 6-feet-4 and weighed over 200
'The physicians discovered ab-
normalities in the liver which, without pounds during his prime movie
Hudson's illness prompts
renewed interest in .AIDS
From United Press International
News of actor Rock Hudson's
yearlong battle with AIDS has
focused nationwide attention on
the incurable epidemic now
reaching into the heterosexual
population, officials for gay rights
organizations said yesterday.
Gay rights activists say Hud-
son's AIDS diagnosis could become
the necessary springboard to badly
needed increases in research and
education funds that would speed
scientific efforts toward a cure
and spread the word on prevention
tips until an effective treatment is
found.
HUDSON'S battle with acquired
immune deficiency syndrome
could prove to be "somewhat
analogous to what President
Reagan is doing for colon cancer,"
said Ron Najman of the National
Gay Task Force in Washington.
"If the prominent do contract
AIDS increasingly, it may further
public understanding of the
disease," he said.
"The phone was ringing off the
wall," said Nate Sebastian, direc-
tor of the AIDS Foundation in
Houston. "Very few people asked
(for information) about Rock Hud-
son. They wanted to know about
AIDS - if there isa test for it, what
the symptoms are.
"We have been fighting this for a
long time, trying to make the
public aware this is not a gay
disease. We've gotten a lot of calls
about this, a lot of concerned
heterosexual people were calling
because a 'real' person named
Rock Hudson has AIDS."
CRIME PREVENTION TIPS
Some of the visitors at the Art Fair aren't here to visit the booths, but to
use the occasion for criminal activities. Visitors to the Art Fair should be
on guard.
" Don't carry large amounts of cash, just what you need for that trip. If
you must carry large amounts, divide it up between your wallet, purse,
and parts of your clothing.
" Don't carry a large number of credit cards. If you haven't already
done so, record your account numbers and keep them ina safe place.
" Carry a purse only if you must. If you do, don't let it dangle - wrap
your arm around it, tuck it under your arm, and hold it snugly.
" Be on guard against jostling and contact with others in a crowd.
That's how pickpockets work. Check your wallet and purse every time
you are bumped.
" Park in well-lit areas, have your key out before you get to the car, and
check your car before you get in it. Then leave immediately.
. Keep packages in a locked trunk. If you don't have a trunk, put
packages under the front seat and cover them.
Crime Prevention Tips appear every Friday courtesy of Director
of Safety Leo Heatley.Y ..... .