Destruction
Humans will at times determine that a beehive must be destroyed in the interest of public safety or in the interest of preventing the spread of bee diseases. Black bears also destroy hives in their quest for honey. The U.S. state of Florida destroyed the hives of Africanized honey bees in 1999. The state of Arkansas has issued regulations governing the treatment of diseased beehives via burning followed by burial, fumigation using ethylene oxide or other approved gases, sterilization by treatment with lye, or by scorching.
Spraying the hive with a soap-and-water solution may be effective, since soap dissolves the bees' waxy exterior that protects them from drowning. The procedure is, however, surrounded with cautions, as it angers the bees. A common method used to destroy bees in a diseased hive is a quantity of petroleum, some say a pint, poured into the hive after all exits have been plugged.
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