In my new home town of Peoria Arizona, it seems that there is a slight bee problem, the most recent of which has just sent a man to the hospital with over 500 bee stings, the latest in a small rash of attacks.
A construction worker that was clearing land for a development near Thunderbird Road and the Loop 101 in Peoria, Az., unearthed a bee hive, which resulted in the man being sent to the hospital from over 500 bee stings. The man is in serious condition.
According to Peoria Fire Capt. Bob Groholski, "This was as serious as it gets. He was covered with bees, unable to get back to his feet."
Believe it or not, the man was lucky because Groholski estimates that the number of bees were in the thousands based on the size of the hives that crews later found.
In October, there was another attack in Glendale, AZ, where over 100,000 bees attacked four children, a babysitter and a beekeeper, in a valley neighborhood.
The babysitter and one of the children were rushed to the hospital in that case, both recovered from that attack.
Over the past two weeks, swarms of bees have attacked two people in Tempe and killed two dogs in Gilbert.
A couple was attacked Wednesday at Hangar Park in Tempe by bees that had been inside a garbage can they opened at the park. The man was stung more than 100 times and transported to a hospital in serious condition. The woman was also stung and went to the hospital with minor injuries.
On Feb. 19 in Gilbert, two dogs were killed and several members of a family stung when a swarm of bees attacked them in their yard.
A worker from the Arizona Exterminating Company, Dan Armijo, says there has been an increase in bee calls and that most bees are not aggressive unless they are Africanized bees aka killer bees.
He says that Africanized bees are far more aggressive than honey bees which are more common and the Africanized will attack if disturbed or if it feels its colony is being threatened.
Confusing the issue a little more, he also says that there is no way to tell the two types of bees apart.
I was in a similar incident but only stung by about 35 bees when a friend's dog rolled over a hive buried in the ground. I can tell you that was a feeling I never want to experience again. I can't image what 500 would feel like.
I was in a similar incident but only stung by about 35 bees when a friend's dog rolled over a hive buried in the ground. I can tell you that was a feeling I never want to experience again. I can't image what 500 would feel like.
Neither can I and growing up in Florida, I saw my fair share of people bitten, but nothing like this and I am wondering if I moved into a horror bee swarm bad B rated movie town... I have been shuddering since I saw the stories.
Not bad enough that I live in a new development that is the last one on this side of the road before hitting the "Hills have eyes" territory of open dessert, and I was already worried about mountain lions, those wild pig things and coyotes....but now BEES????
@Susan Duclos
Neither can I and growing up in Florida, I saw my fair share of people bitten, but nothing like this and I am wondering if I moved into a horror bee swarm bad B rated movie town... I have been shuddering since I saw the stories.
Not bad enough that I live in a new development that is the last one on this side of the road before hitting the "Hills have eyes" territory of open dessert, and I was already worried about mountain lions, those wild pig things and coyotes....but now BEES????
And rattlesnakes...are you afraid of snakes? (I am!) I'd rather deal with mountain lions, wild pigs or even coyotes to snakes or bees!
Hills have eyes, huh? LOL! Now that's creepy!
Good story...keep us posted, this is very strange that there are so many bees there. Is this normal, or not?
Good story and you have awoken my curiosity, what are the bees doing there and where did they come from/ i'm not asking you Susan just sending it out. Something is out of balance here.
Susan, those wild pig things are javelina's (have-a-lean-ahs) and they are vicious little buggers. To me, its those damn spiders (mostly tarantula's but they aren't the ones down there that'll kill you with their bite ... they just kill you by heart attack when you see them) and as sky said, the rattlesnakes. One day when my son was small many years ago and we were in Green Valley, AZ, he stepped out of the kitchen into the attached garage right over a baby sidewinder that had slithered in for the night. *still shudders* My Dad picked it up with some fireplace tongs and carried out to a nearby arroyo and tossed it in, all while it was spitting and trying to strike him. Nature can sometimes be very, very frightening.
My Mom was caught in a bee swarm when she was a youngster and she can still recall how as she was running home her breath was getting shorter and shorter until she couldn't breath any more but just knew that she had to get home, or else. Can you imagine as a mother seeing your child stumbling toward you all swollen up and gasping for air! How my grandmother dealt with it I don't know but obviously, my Mom is still around today.
I've had bees/wasps come out of hives between walls in houses that I've worked on through the years, I think the most that I've ever been popped at one time was around 50 or so.
Great article. This is an issue in TX - on of the maintenance workers at our district was stung 70 times while mowing his grass by killer bees (africanized bees). They were in the tree and the vibration/sound upset them and they attacked.
Here in the country you can HEAR the swarms at their hives. A friend of ours has his own hive as they make their own honey (using Italian honey bees they had imported). Those guys aren't aggessive at all.
@Bob Ewing
Good story and you have awoken my curiosity, what are the bees doing there and where did they come from/ i'm not asking you Susan just sending it out. Something is out of balance here.
My thoughts too, Bob. Very strange that there are soooo many of them that attack at once.
@Bob Ewing
Good story and you have awoken my curiosity, what are the bees doing there and where did they come from/ i'm not asking you Susan just sending it out. Something is out of balance here.
Since the Africanized bee "invasion" into the U.S. began in the early 1990s, the insects have been a regular visitor during mostly the summer months.
THAT led me to type in, Killer bee invasion, which brought a few articles, explaining:
-----Distribution: In 1956, some colonies of African Honey Bees were imported into Brazil, with the idea of cross-breeding them with local populations of Honey Bees to increase honey production. In 1957, twenty-six African queens, along with swarms of European worker bees, escaped from an experimental apiary about l00 miles south of Sao Paulo. These African bee escapees have since formed hybrid populations with European Honey Bees, both feral and from commercial hives. They have gradually spread northward through South America, Central America, and eastern Mexico, progressing some 100 to 200 miles per year. In 1990, Killer Bees reached southern Texas, appeared in Arizona in 1993, and found their way to California in 1995. They are expected to form colonies in parts of the southern United States.--------
It continues:
----Damage done: Africanized Honey Bees (=Killer Bees) are dangerous because they attack intruders in numbers much greater than European Honey Bees. Since their introduction into Brazil, they have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving ten times as many stings than from the European strain. They react to disturbances ten times faster than European Honey Bees, and will chase a person a quarter of a mile. ------
@Carolyn E. Price (gohomelaker)
Susan, those wild pig things are javelina's (have-a-lean-ahs) and they are vicious little buggers. To me, its those damn spiders (mostly tarantula's but they aren't the ones down there that'll kill you with their bite ... they just kill you by heart attack when you see them) and as sky said, the rattlesnakes. One day when my son was small many years ago and we were in Green Valley, AZ, he stepped out of the kitchen into the attached garage right over a baby sidewinder that had slithered in for the night. *still shudders* My Dad picked it up with some fireplace tongs and carried out to a nearby arroyo and tossed it in, all while it was spitting and trying to strike him. Nature can sometimes be very, very frightening.
My Mom was caught in a bee swarm when she was a youngster and she can still recall how as she was running home her breath was getting shorter and shorter until she couldn't breath any more but just knew that she had to get home, or else. Can you imagine as a mother seeing your child stumbling toward you all swollen up and gasping for air! How my grandmother dealt with it I don't know but obviously, my Mom is still around today.
Those wild ping things are ugly and look nasty. I keep seeing reports on the news also about coyotes jumping these tall fences we have and eating little dogs.. so now when I take mine out at night, I have my gun with me.
@Debra Myers (skyangel)
And rattlesnakes...are you afraid of snakes? (I am!) I'd rather deal with mountain lions, wild pigs or even coyotes to snakes or bees!
Hills have eyes, huh? LOL! Now that's creepy!
Good story...keep us posted, this is very strange that there are so many bees there. Is this normal, or not?
Wow, what a horrible incident! Chris is right, a few dozen bees is one thing, but 500?! Krikey, I can just picture what that bitten body must look like.
Darn. Why did I picture that? *sigh*
@Carolyn E. Price (gohomelaker)
Susan, those wild pig things are javelina's (have-a-lean-ahs) and they are vicious little buggers. To me, its those damn spiders (mostly tarantula's but they aren't the ones down there that'll kill you with their bite ... they just kill you by heart attack when you see them) and as sky said, the rattlesnakes. One day when my son was small many years ago and we were in Green Valley, AZ, he stepped out of the kitchen into the attached garage right over a baby sidewinder that had slithered in for the night. *still shudders* My Dad picked it up with some fireplace tongs and carried out to a nearby arroyo and tossed it in, all while it was spitting and trying to strike him. Nature can sometimes be very, very frightening.
My Mom was caught in a bee swarm when she was a youngster and she can still recall how as she was running home her breath was getting shorter and shorter until she couldn't breath any more but just knew that she had to get home, or else. Can you imagine as a mother seeing your child stumbling toward you all swollen up and gasping for air! How my grandmother dealt with it I don't know but obviously, my Mom is still around today.
Sorry to hear that you got the "pacheezers" scared outta ya. :-( Nature is beautifully dangerous. We have the coral snake 'round here. And alligators. My kids got to "pet" a 10.5 FT Gater last Aug. Our neighbor had one in the yard and called the game warden. We have those javalinas and ferrel pigs too. Sure BEATS SKYSCRAPERS though! :-)
@David Silverberg
Wow, what a horrible incident! Chris is right, a few dozen bees is one thing, but 500?! Krikey, I can just picture what that bitten body must look like.
Darn. Why did I picture that? *sigh*
Imagine the incident in October... over 100,000 swarming around.
GAWD, I actually live here.
Gohomelaker, I don't know how your grandmother dealt with it wither!
@Debra Myers (skyangel)
And rattlesnakes...are you afraid of snakes? (I am!) I'd rather deal with mountain lions, wild pigs or even coyotes to snakes or bees!
Hills have eyes, huh? LOL! Now that's creepy!
Good story...keep us posted, this is very strange that there are so many bees there. Is this normal, or not?
Debra I used to love snakes, not anymore, but I am not scared of them, just rather pump a shotgun shot into them.
Bees, I am NOT fond of.
Night everyone, see you tomorrow and thanks again for the comments.
How horrible to be attacked by a swarm of bees and be stung that many times.
I guess the time that I opened a shed door and disturbed some wasps and was stung in the face and neck a few times was nothing compared to what has happened to some.
@Cynthia T. [Picasso]
How horrible to be attacked by a swarm of bees and be stung that many times.
I guess the time that I opened a shed door and disturbed some wasps and was stung in the face and neck a few times was nothing compared to what has happened to some.
Red hornets are pretty mean but those killer bees - they lay in wait. I had a yellowjacket sting me on the arm while i was in a line for a water ride at a major amusement park with my mom and my children - I unknowingly said the f word an un countable number of times before my husband said honey, are you ok? LOL.....I thought someone put a cigarette out on my arm. 500 x over? NO WAY.
It took 10 hours to remove the stingers. The tally was actually over 1,000 stings. Hospital staff said they had never heard of anyone surviving so many bee stings. He is in intensive care tonight but is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow.
@Graham Cracker
It took 10 hours to remove the stingers. The tally was actually over 1,000 stings. Hospital staff said they had never heard of anyone surviving so many bee stings. He is in intensive care tonight but is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow.
What a terrible experience for him and also his loved ones.
I am certainly glad that he will be OK. Give him are best regards Graham Cracker. Thank-you for the update.
@Cynthia T. [Picasso]
What a terrible experience for him and also his loved ones.
I am certainly glad that he will be OK. Give him are best regards Graham Cracker. Thank-you for the update.
Luckily, I've only been stung twice in a row...just within inches of each other...by a wasp. I found out the hard way that I am allergic to them...but count my blessing after realizing all this poor man's been through.
It's like something from Ripley's believe it or Not! At least he is alive and apparently not allergic to the bite. In certain people it can trigger anaphylactic reaction that is potentially deadly. Another strange news, bee venom has a medicinal use too. It is used to treat arthritis and a few other painful ailments.
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Bee Swarm Sends Man To The Hospital With 500 Stings
