14 DAY TRIAL // A big swarm of killer bees attacked a 71-year-old woman in Palm Desert, California. The incident happened last Thursday inside the Montecito golf resort community.
The unnamed woman was stung more than 1,000 times and five firefighters were also hurt after they were attacked by a swarm of about 75,000 Africanized honey bees.
According to some reports, the elderly woman was getting out from a car at about 4.40 PM when she was completely covered by two hives of killer bees. She was unable to move quickly enough to escape the swarm. Members of the victim’s family threw a blanket over her in their attempt to chase away the bees.
The woman was taken to a local hospital where medics treated her for serious injuries. Three of the firefighters who were hurt while trying to help the woman were also hospitalized with minor injuries.
Private company Killer Bee Inc. was called in to clear the 75,000 bees, which had built hives inside an underground electrical vault belonging to Verizon. Apparently, an employee of the telecommunications company opened the posted cable box and the bees got angry.
Lance Davis, owner of the bee removal company, says the aggressive bees may have attacked simply because the woman stepped within a 90-yard (82-meter) radius of them.
“They just went into her car and attacked her. They were mad. They went after anything that moved within a 90-yard radius.
“They’re quick to anger, and they are relentless in their attack. If it takes the whole hive to protect against an intruder, or someone perceived to be an intruder, they will do it,” he explained, according to the Mirror.
Davis cleared the swarm by blowing smoke into the hive and vacuuming the bees up. He then took them to his hives in Thermal, where they will be used for crop pollination.
“We do these jobs all the time, where someone has gotten the bees all excited. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to get these guys angry,” Davis added.
Experts warn that multiple bee stings can cause anaphylactic shock to the victim, as well as swelling and breathing difficulties, and are fatal to those who are allergic to the venom.
Africanized honey bees are known to be an aggressive species and they attack relentlessly in large numbers if they feel threatened. They have a lower tolerance for nest disturbance and will send more bees out in pursuit of an intruder than the European bees. This behavior has earned them the nickname “killer bees.”