Incident List

MSU Extension stated that there was no evidence Africanized honey bees were established in Mississippi and advised that people should still be cautious around honey bee colonies because defense behavior varies.

A removal-company blog post states that ABC Action News covered a man nearly killed by Africanized honey bees and hospitalized for six days. This is retained as a lead pending the original ABC Action source or other reliable documentation.

OSHA reported that a 64-year-old landscaper at a country club in Palm Desert was attacked by bees while cutting grass, stung multiple times, and admitted to a local hospital.

Rogelio/Rogerio Zuniga, 53, died after being stung by hundreds of bees while using a tractor/disk in a field near Rio Hondo/Lozano. Officials said the tractor hit an old irrigation pipe containing 15 to 20 feet of honeycomb.

Murrieta Fire & Rescue responded after a bee swarm attacked a homeowner; a firefighter and the homeowner were transported to the hospital.

ADAI confirmed AHB in Barbour County after local beekeepers collected a feral swarm. The swarm was euthanized and ADAI deployed traps within a five-mile radius to monitor for additional activity.

ADAI stated that AHB can be more defensive, respond in greater numbers, swarm more often, nest in utility boxes/debris/underground cavities, and pursue perceived threats farther than European honey bees. ADAI urged the public not to disturb colonies and to report unusually aggressive behavior.

Encyclopedia of Arkansas states that by June 2005 Africanized bee colonies were established in several Oklahoma counties bordering Arkansas; in the next month, several were found in Miller and Lafayette counties, with isolated swarms reported in three other counties.

Louisiana officials reported that Africanized honey bees were first discovered in the state in July 2005 after USDA confirmed samples taken in June from a swarm trap near Rodessa in north Caddo Parish. The finding was described as the first case of Africanized bees entering Louisiana through natural range expansion.

A worker spraying water on date palm fruit to remove mite webbing, working from an aerial bucket, sprayed a cluster where a hive was hidden and unseen among the palm branches. Multiple bees attacked; he lowered the bucket and fled to the enclosed cab of the tractor his coworker was driving, but bees entered with him. Both men were stung in the cab before exiting and running further down the row. The victim suffered anaphylactic shock and died at the scene. Cal/OSHA later cited the employer, Hadley Date Gardens Inc., for four violations totaling over $41,000, finding the company's safety plan covered other known hazards (heat, falls, thorns) but had no specific protocol for insect stings at the time. HBA note: the official FACE report documents bee stings and a fatal occupational outcome; do not overstate bee ID without lab confirmation.

A 43-year-old man was washing his dog in a Loma Linda backyard when bees attacked. ABC7 reported the man was stung about 100 times and treated/released at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Firefighters treated the golden retriever Daisy with antihistamines, oxygen, and foam before transport, but the dog died the next day.

A 65-year-old worker, later identified as Nicolas Lopez Soto of Gilbert, died after being stung while working in Scottsdale; two others were injured/hospitalized.

A man doing backhoe road-clearing work for a property owner was swarmed by bees; the property owner had gone inside to escape the heat shortly before. Medical personnel declared him dead at the scene; his body was covered in bees, requiring firefighters to spray a foam agent before recovery was possible.

A 73-year-old man died after being swarmed by bees and stung hundreds of times in South Bexar County; local reports cited sheriff’s office information and a neighbor said he had been mowing.

A farm field worker was taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center after reportedly being stung more than 200 times while working near a cotton field in Solomon. The report cites a Graham County Sheriff’s Office response and notes Safford Fire Department sprayed the hive.

At an Irvine development project, a site-preparation worker disturbed bees inhabiting a concrete block during grading/tree work, went into cardiac arrest, and died.

OSHA reported that a landscaping worker preparing to cut a tree disturbed a colony of bees, jumped from a boom lift onto a roof while under attack, and suffered a fractured femur requiring hospitalization.

Officials confirmed that 82-year-old Lino Lopez died after being stung by Africanized honey bees. Secondary summaries say he was trying to remove a colony from a wall in an abandoned building on his ranch near Harlingen.

AP coverage said Wildomar residents were timing when they left home because aggressive bee swarms were tormenting the area; Kim Bammes said her Labrador mix Reggie died after so many stings that the veterinarian lost count.

An amateur beekeeper was found unconscious in his driveway after his own hive - kept at his private residence - became aggressive and dispersed throughout the Ramsey neighborhood; his wife was also hospitalized for stings. The town's Office of Emergency Management warned residents to shelter indoors. A 40-year beekeeping veteran called the incident 'extraordinary' and said he'd never seen anything like it. The hive was later relocated to a farm. HBA note: source includes speculation about Africanized bees, but no confirmed bee-ID result was found in this batch.

A 52-year-old housekeeper was critically injured after more than 200 stings by a swarm described as Africanized bees; four firefighters were also stung during rescue.

Bell County Sheriff's Office, Moffat Fire Department and Temple EMS responded after a 54-year-old man was swarmed while mowing grass on FM 2409 west of Temple; responders used water and a fire extinguisher to immobilize bees and transported him to Baylor Scott & White in Temple.

KRWG/AP reported that genetic tests confirmed Africanized bees in the July 18, 2012 attack on a tree removal crew at the historic Alameda House in downtown Las Cruces. Two workers were hospitalized; one 52-year-old man had numerous stings, was originally critical, and recovered. Authorities closed part of Alameda Boulevard and urged nearby residents to stay indoors until the bees settled down.

A Manchester city worker was hospitalized after being stung hundreds of times while cutting down a tree on Beech Street; neighbors and additional helpers were also stung, for six total people attacked.

An 86-year-old man was stung hundreds of times and hospitalized after a killer bee attack near a vacant home in the Sun City Anthem neighborhood of Henderson; his dog was stung dozens of times and did not survive. The removal company identified the colony as Africanized. State officials used the incident to reiterate that Africanized bees are classified as a public-health threat in Nevada.

At a South Texas cattle-ranch operation near Batesville, a worker on a tractor reported he had been attacked by bees while shredding an alleyway; he later died in the ambulance after roughly twenty stings.

A 75-year-old man died in Bedias after bulldozing trees on his ranch and disturbing a nest reported as Africanized honey bees. KHOU reported he was stung more than 60 times on the face and neck and was declared dead at the scene.

A swarm of about 30,000 bees attacked Kristen Beauregard, her boyfriend, and their miniature horses while the horses were being exercised in Pantego. The two miniature/show horses died; Beauregard was reportedly stung about 200 times and her boyfriend about 50 times. Companion reports say five hens were also killed and a dog was stung; firefighters used foam to clear bees and a beekeeper later removed the hive.

A City of Wichita Falls mowing crew disturbed a beehive near the Weeks Park Tennis Center. Three city employees were injured; two remained hospitalized and the most seriously injured worker reportedly suffered more than 1,000 stings. The city release called the insects Africanized killer bees.

A Diamond Bar man and his dog were recovering after a backyard attack by bees that killed two other dogs. ABC7 reported the man was stung nearly 50 times and transported to the hospital, and firefighters rescued him.

Three Paramus Shade Tree & Parks Commission employees working in a bucket truck struck a hive hidden in a tree trunk; one worker was stung roughly 40 times and hospitalized, the other two stung moderately. Police closed the street and advised residents to shelter indoors; a local beekeeper assessed the hive and recommended leaving it undisturbed to let the bees return. HBA note: keep Bee ID Unknown; source describes a tree-trunk nest disturbed during municipal tree work, not confirmed Africanized bees.

A Santee woman was hospitalized after more than 100 stings; a plumber and coworker spotted the attack, called 911, and helped before firefighters and EMTs arrived.

At Troy, New York, an employee mowing grass for a residential property manager was stung in the face by bees and died from anaphylaxis.

A 78-year-old man was found rolling on the ground after being attacked by bees at his home; a responding deputy was also attacked upon exiting his vehicle. Both were transported to a hospital in Benson. The man's dog was also affected but relocated safely.

Northwest Fire District reported at least six people were stung in Marana; three civilians were reportedly stung hundreds of times and transported, one person died, and firefighters were also stung, including one reportedly stung about 60 times.

Daniel Martinez, 48, died on July 31, 2017 while performing landscaping work at a Tucson-area home. Trade/legal coverage reported that his widow filed a Pima County Superior Court lawsuit alleging homeowners were negligent after Africanized bees built two exposed roof-attached nests, allegedly visible and present for an extended period; seven firefighters were also reportedly stung or hurt during the response. Legal allegations are recorded as allegations, not findings of liability.

One person was hospitalized after being stung multiple times while working in a tree; HCFR Special Operations and Avon Park Fire Department assisted because the person could not get down safely.

A man was hospitalized at University Hospital after a swarm attacked during yard cleanup on a property in Devine; a witness described seeing what looked like a black cloud.

A 59-year-old manager and three coworkers at McVay Drilling Co. were walking toward a tool shed being relocated by forklift when the lift disturbed a hidden bee colony. The employee suffered multiple stings, convulsed, and collapsed. EMS could not revive him; cause of death was a heart attack triggered by the stings. One other employee was stung but not hospitalized.

A Brewery Gulch resident sprayed a long-established beehive wedged in an old brick warehouse; the Africanized colony erupted into the street, attacking pedestrians, dogs, birds, and even telephone poles. A tied-up Labrador retriever died five hours later. Eight people were hospitalized, including Debrah Strait, stung up to 300 times after bees filtered into her car through a partially open window. A policeman had to wrap himself in a blanket for protection.

A worker was fatally stung by bees, per OSHA's FY15 fatality archive.

At Willcox, Arizona, a vineyard employee standing near a house for a bee-hive removal estimate was stung after bees were present on the exterminator's suit and died.

Jose Moreno Pacheco, a 49-year-old Las Vegas exterminator, died after being stung more than 200 times while working to remove a hive from a home. The initial attack caused life-threatening injuries, and firefighters in protective gear pulled him from the swarm site.

OSU reported that bees from a Tillman County stinging incident near Tipton were confirmed by USDA-ARS as Africanized honey bees; seven members of a work crew were treated at a local hospital.

A man attempting DIY bee removal with a vacuum cleaner was stung. Driving himself to the hospital, he suffered an allergic reaction that caused him to lose control of his car, crashing into a pedestrian, several other cars, and a house.

FOX 10 reported that bees nesting in an abandoned upside-down couch attacked four family dogs in El Mirage; one dog died at the scene, two critically injured dogs were rushed to an emergency animal hospital and later euthanized, and one survived.

A swarm of bees attacked a family outside a Lemon Grove home, injuring five people including four children. At least two people were taken to the hospital, and the family dog Kona later died after being covered with stingers.

A 40-year-old warehouse worker was hospitalized in stable condition after being stung more than 300 times by Africanized bees after disturbing a hive at work.

A vehicle crashed into a house, disturbing a hidden bee hive within the structure. Three people were injured in the resulting attack, one seriously enough to require hospitalization.

A 73-year-old Duncan man died after a bee attack while cleaning scrap piles near San Simon. His son drove him toward help; a deputy who stopped the speeding vehicle was stung repeatedly while attempting CPR, and bees inside the car made resuscitation efforts impossible. The son and another worker were also hospitalized.