Incident List

At New Braunfels, Texas, an employee went to pick up debris when bees suddenly flew in and stung him; he died from the bee stings.

A Tucson man and his 13-year-old son were attacked by Africanized honeybees while climbing in Saguaro National Park. The boy dislodged part of a hidden hive on a cliff face. The father was stung over 200 times and hospitalized overnight; the son was stung about 50 times and treated and released.

Lamar LaCaze of Kyle reportedly received more than 1,200 stings while mowing a field and spent a week hospitalized. Relatives believed bees had been living in an old water heater in the field.

Two people were taken to the hospital, one in critical condition, after a man using a Weed Eater disturbed an underground hive near South Brazos and Nancy Place. Reports said victims were stung more than 200 times.

A 59-year-old man was hospitalized after numerous bee stings at a Graham County residence off East Hollywood Road. Local reporting stated the bees were likely Africanized because most wild bees in Arizona have hybridized.

A brush-clearing crew using a skid-steer, power tools and hand work reportedly disturbed a bee colony occupying a 55-gallon barrel. A 61-year-old worker received hundreds of stings and died despite treatment; three additional workers received medical treatment, several responders were stung, and bees entered the ambulance during care. A suited firefighter with openings taped closed helped extract the victim, and Erath County supplied additional bee suits before responders used protein foam to suppress the bees.

A swarm attacked more than 20 students and several staff members, including the elementary school principal, at adjacent Valley Union High and Elfrida Elementary. Removal specialists estimated over 100,000 bees in the hive and described the colony as unusually aggressive; both schools were briefly evacuated. No one required hospitalization.

Austin Bellamy was trimming branches in a tree when he cut into a hive and was swarmed; reports said he suffered about 20,000 stings, swallowed bees, developed kidney failure, and was airlifted to the hospital before later improving.

At Jackman, Maine, a logging employee marking trees to cut was stung by about four bees, suffered anaphylactic shock and cardiac arrest, and died.

A 22-year-old farm worker was changing watering wheel lines at a large dairy cattle facility when he was stung by a bee, suffered an allergic reaction, and died.

Animal Attack Files index contains a lead dated Aug. 23, 2004: “CA: Bee attack near Barstow leaves six people hospitalized.” Needs original source before publication. Marked public-visible preliminary because the event appears real but one or more details remain pending.

Christopher Graves was starting a lawn mower at his grandmother's house when bees swarmed from a vacant building. One sting was followed almost instantly by full-body coverage; he was stung roughly 1,000 times and taken to Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi in serious but stable condition. Fire Chief Julio Flores described finding him covered in bees head to toe.

A man named Luis was helping a friend around the house when a swarm attacked him. He was stung well over 100 times and collapsed in the driveway; bees were still attacking him as he was loaded into the ambulance unconscious and in anaphylactic shock. He was hospitalized for 2.5 days.

A man was hospitalized after being stung nearly 2,000 times in Sun City West, according to ABC15 citing Arizona Fire and Medical Authority.

Tucson Fire Department crews responded to an allergic reaction call and found bees swarming a mobile home near Swan and Grant. Two people inside were actively being stung, crews used foam to remove them, and both victims were transported to the hospital. A firefighter was also stung a few times.

Eight people were stung, including six first responders; one MedStar EMT and one civilian were hospitalized after bees from a dilapidated house attacked responders and residents.

About 40 Palmdale High School students were reportedly stung after someone threw an apple at a hive; 35 students were transported to a hospital, including one reportedly stung about 13 times. The source describes the bees as African honey bees.

Jose Santos-Ortiz, 87, died after being attacked by bees while cutting a neighbor’s yard in Robstown. Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez told KIII he had been helping a neighbor by mowing grass.

Brandi Morris returned home to find her backyard swarmed with bees attacking her four dogs. She got three inside but the bees pursued them into the garage and laundry room; her first 911 call was declined because the bees 'weren't actively stinging a human' at that moment. A neighbor helped transport the dogs to a vet, both were stung in the process. Two golden retrievers and a Great Dane mix died over the following day; a fourth dog escaped and survived. Firefighters, dispatched after a second 911 call from the neighbor's household, located and removed a 60-lb hive from a shed on an unoccupied neighboring property.

OSHA reported that a construction worker on a ladder helping lower equipment from an exterminator was swarmed when the equipment came down covered with bees; he fell and was hospitalized with a fractured hip and bee stings.

A driver crashed into a Buena Park home and damaged a beehive. Police reported that the bees attacked the driver, who was taken to the hospital with bee stings. Orange County Fire Authority crews responded to cool/subdue the bees.

OSHA reported that a construction laborer clearing land at a job site unearthed a bee hive and was stung in the face more than 100 times; emergency services transported him to the hospital where he was admitted.

A group of four climbers - including a woman and a toddler - disturbed a hive at a popular Mt. Lemmon crag around 6:30pm. Three escaped, but Mackley became stuck at the top of a route with a jammed rope knot and was stung for roughly three hours, later estimated at over 1,000-1,500 stings (he reported counting 90 sting marks on one hand alone). He described fading in and out of consciousness during the ordeal. Search and rescue rappelled down and extracted him around 9:15pm; three of the four climbers were hospitalized.

A man was reportedly stung about 200 times, two people were hospitalized, and two horses died after a swarm attack in Jurupa Valley.

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.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.