Stung By 2,000 Bees: 84-Year-Old Arizona Man Attacked By Bee Swarm
Doctors in Arizona say a man stung by a swarm of 2,000 bees on Wednesday is lucky to be alive. Authorities in Oro Valley reported that an 84-year-old man came under a vicious bee attack by a large and “aggressive” hive at his residence. He survived thousands of stings, well beyond the lethal human limit, citing a New York Daily News report.
On the day the man was stung by the bees, the fire department was called to the scene in the 1300 block of East Scorpius Street, near North First Avenue and East Tangerine Road. The area of the bee attack is located about a 30-minute drive from Tuscon, just north of the Catalina Foothills.
Oro Valley man stung 2,000 times in bee attack http://t.co/ZfnQLTAZID pic.twitter.com/gAzloyDCcd
— AZ Family (@azfamily) June 5, 2015
Oro Valley man stung 2,000 times in bee attack http://t.co/ZfnQLTAZID pic.twitter.com/gAzloyDCcd
— AZ Family (@azfamily) June 5, 2015
There, they found an elderly man lying in the street. Only moments earlier, he was rescued by police officers who found him face-down. Apparently, the man encountered the bee swarm when he opened his shed. Authorities say about 50,000 insects were part of a “well-established swarm.”
Golder Ranch Fire Battalion Chief Will Seely spoke to reporters about the incident. All told, the man suffered about 2,000 stings from the bees. However, what’s puzzling is why the honey bees, which are typically docile until provoked, caused them to sting the man in such large numbers.
Unlike the Africanized honey bees, which were brought into the country years ago unintentionally, native bees like local pollinators are not usually short-tempered, as Seely explains.
“The bees just do their thing until someone sets them off. So we don’t know what this gentleman did to them off.”
An unidentified neighbor rushed to the man’s side after hearing screams. He managed to drag the man to the front yard, where police were able to assist in the removal of bees. He was rushed to a local hospital and treated. Doctors say the man was stung by bees approximately 2,000 times.
Although the elderly Arizona man stung by 2,000 bees is quite troublesome, experts say humans are not the only target of an aggressive colony. According to a previous report by Inquisitr in March, a woman lost three of her companions, allegedly by a bee swarm.
Then, California resident, Linnea Chapman, said she found three of her dogs unresponsive one morning in her Santa Ana backyard. Animal Control officers arrived and later determined the Australian shepherds were attacked and stung to death by a massive bee swarm.
Experts say that on average, humans can only withstand being stung 500 to 800 or so times from the more aggressive African species of bees. So, having endured 2,000 stings from local bees is baffling. Seely said the victim suffered about 400 stings to his arms and hand alone.
All told, there were about 50,000 bees in the colony. So, things could have been worse for the survivor. Thankfully, on Friday, the senior was awake, talking and taking his medication. Doctors say his condition was stable.
[Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images]
