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Incident Record

Mary Williams became first Arizona human fatality attributed to Africanized honey bees

Historical summaries identify 88-year-old Mary Williams of Apache Junction as the first Arizona human fatality from Africanized honey bees. She was reportedly stung more than 1,000 times outside her home.

Record ID: AZ-MARICOPA-1995-1006
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This record is part of a first-pass incident research dataset. Records, categories, and source notes may be updated as additional information is reviewed and verified.
Date 10/6/1995
Location Apache Junction / east of Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ
State AZ
Record Type Historical Public Awareness Record
Trigger / Activity Residential / Property Exposure
Severity Fatality
Bee ID Status Confirmed Africanized
Aggression Classification Highly defensive colony response

Incident Summary

Historical summaries identify 88-year-old Mary Williams of Apache Junction as the first Arizona human fatality from Africanized honey bees. She was reportedly stung more than 1,000 times outside her home.

Public-Safety Lesson

Elderly people are at special risk in mass-stinging events because they may have less ability to escape quickly and may be more vulnerable to venom load.

Impact Flags

Human Fatality Yes
Human Hospitalized No
Animal Fatality No
Responder Involved Unknown

Source Information

Source: Today in Science History; Phoenix New Times historical summary

Source Strength: C