`KILLER' BEE COLONY ENCOUNTERED AT BAILARD LANDFILL.

Byline: David Greenberg Staff Writer

Africanized bees, which have killed at least five people since entering the United States in 1990, have colonized in Ventura County, officials said Friday.

The state Department of Food and Agriculture confirmed a swarm discovered recently in the abandoned Bailard Landfill in Oxnard is the hybrid bees that officials have been on the lookout for since spring. None of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District workers who encountered the swarm were reported injured.

The bees, known to aggressively swarm and sting, were discovered in late March in Hidden Hills and Calabasas - forcing health officials to issue an advisory that migration to Ventura County would soon follow.

The Agricultural Commissioner's office has since appropriated money for overtime pay for inspectors and for the purchase of equipment to handle potential problems.

DNA testing in Sacramento allows officials to determine if bees are the Africanized hybrid variety or the more common, less aggressive European honeybee.

County Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail issued a warning to residents not to disturb any beehives and to examine all outdoor areas before playing, using a lawn mower or setting up a pen area for animals. If stung, he said, victims should cover their faces and run for shelter, remove stingers as soon as possible, and seek medical attention.

The bees were released into Brazil in 1957 and entered Texas from Mexico in 1990. They were confirmed to exist in Arizona in 1993.

For information, call [phone].