ARIZONA DAILY WILDCATwildcat.arizona.edu The University of Arizona, TucsonWednesday, March 30, 2005

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Rainfall brings plenty of beesCollege brings inremoval experts

Experts are warning people tobeware of bees as an exceptionallybusy insect season swarms Tucson.

Because of above-average rainfallthe city received this season, flowersare thriving, and that may meanmore bees than usual, said GloriaDeGrandi-Hoffman, director of theCarl Hayden Bee Research Center inTucson.

“We expect a good bloom sea-son,” said DeGrandi-Hoffman, anadjunct professor in the entomologydepartment. “And the more flowersthere are, the more pollen and nectarthere is.”

In the past three weeks there have

been 10 to 12 bee swarms reportedon campus, said Deryl Smith, assis-tant director of FacilitiesManagement’s grounds servicesdepartment.

Last week, an ArizonaDiamondbacks spring training gameat Tucson Electric Park was called inthe fifth inning after a swarm of beesinvaded the field.

And experts say the bee season isjust beginning.

Dave Langston, a Tucson ento-mologist and superintendent of theUA’s Maricopa Agricultural Center,said in Arizona it is safe to assumealmost all bees in the wild areAfricanized, or so-called “killer”bees.

Langston, who researchedAfricanized bees and worked on theUA’s Africanized Honey BeeEducation Project before the insectsarrived in Arizona in 1993, saiddespite popular belief Africanized

bees are an aggressive species thatattack without reason, the bees onlyattack when they feel threatened.

“They’re highly defensive of theircolony, food supply and theiryoung,” said Langston, also anadjunct entomology professor.“Forty to 60 percent of the colonywill come out to defend (thecolony).”

On campus, trash barrels filledwith sticky soda cans often attractbees looking for food, but Langstonsaid bees “foraging” for food are notlikely to attack.

However, where bees are feeding,it is possible there could be a colonynearby, Langston said.

When bee swarms are reported oncampus, the grounds servicesdepartment barricades the area andcalls in bee removal experts, Smithsaid.

But Smith said it is impossible to

By Alexis BlueARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

DJAMILA NOELLE GROSSMAN/Arizona Daily WildcatMike Garcia, bee specialist for Northwest Bee Master, exterminates a bee-hive yesterday at Monaco Condominiums, 1620 N. Wilmot Road. This isan especially busy spring season, as bees indulge on many flowers bloom-ing due to warm temperatures and above average rainfall. See BEES/8

HEAVY METAL

JACOB KONST/Arizona Daily WildcatRobert Kingsley, director of the University Research Instrumentation Center, looks at an instrumentthe center constructed for John Glenn’s 1998 space mission. SEE STORY, PAGE 3

Likins budgetfocuses on‘excellence’Faculty, staff react to reallocations

President Peter Likins defended thebudget reallocations announced last weekand said the move will enable the UA to con-tinue the Focused Excellence initiative bydirecting resources toward strong programswhile stabilizing the university budget inthree years.

Last week, university officials revealednine budget reallocation strategies whichwould centralize university funding, includ-ing a half percent budget cut, a 10 percentcarry forward tax and an increase in summersession tuition.

“In theory, that should equate to greaterresource allocation to units with unmetneeds and diminished allocations to thosewhose needs are not as severe,” said ChrisSegrin, department head of communication.“Whether budgets will actually redistributein a fashion that is consistent with the termremains to be seen.”

But Likins said administrators are “notjust taking care of the poor” with the central-ized funding, as many of the investmentswill go toward “excellent” programs.

While the budget reallocation will serveas a means to provide resources to programsthat demonstrate excellence, Provost GeorgeDavis said some money will also be spent onunits needing funding.

“Focused Excellence comes with theunderstanding the university must makesome comprehensive investments,” Davissaid.

Introduced two and a half years ago,Focused Excellence called for the UA to cap-italize on its strengths with the implicitunderstanding there would need to be

See BUDGET/12

By Natasha BhuyanARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

Bystanders OKafter car crash

Several bystanders were in for a majorscare Thursday when a 1991 Ford Windstarcrashed into a Jeep, which injured passengersand left shattered glass along the roadside.

According to police records obtained fromthe Tucson Police Department, a car accidentresulting in a few injuries occurred on the cor-ner of East Helen Street and North ParkAvenue at about 3 p.m.

Jerrod Harris, a computer science senior,was a witness of the accident and he said theincident was quite shocking and happened amere 4 feet in front of him.

“As I stepped out (onto Park) I saw a vancome out of 7-Eleven at a very high rate ofspeed,” said Harris. “It then almost slammedinto another car leaving the garage near there.”

Harris said the driver of the van made aspeedy sharp turn onto Helen going west, butnever made it.

“It was slammed by a Jeep going south onPark,” Harris said. “Both cars spun out of con-trol and landed with the van almost flippingon its side to within 5 feet of where I wasstanding on the corner.”

Harris also said he could hear the passen-gers in the van yelling.

“The passengers in the van (were) scream-ing ‘Go go go!’” Harris said.

Following the crash, glass from the carsbegan to shatter, Harris said.

“Glass had been thrown everywhere fromthe van’s windows,” Harris said. “Next thingI know the driver and a passenger open thedriver-side door of the van and about 15 to 20beers land on the ground.”

Harris also noticed a passenger sitting onthe passenger side of the van had fallen uncon-scious while the driver picked up the beers.

“I walked up to the driver and looked intothe van and saw the guy who was sitting shot-gun unconscious,” Harris said. “The driverand another passenger picked up multiplebeers and started walking fast west on Helen.”

Harris said when the passenger in the vancame to his senses, he heard him complain about

See CRASH/8

By Cassie BlombaumARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT