Incident Record

Running club attacked off-trail in Saguaro National Park; two severely injured (400 and 100 stings), 6-8 more stung

A Tucson running club encountered a large swarm while running off-trail near Tanque Verde Ridge. A 46-year-old man was airlifted by helicopter after roughly 400 stings and admitted overnight; a 37-year-old was ground-transported after about 100 stings, treated and released same day. Six to eight additional runners were stung, some up to 30 times, none requiring further treatment.

Record ID: AZ-PIMA-2005-0108

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 1/8/2005

Location Tanque Verde Ridge, Rincon Mountains, Saguaro National Park (east), AZ, Pima County, AZ

State AZ

Record Type Attack / Stinging Incident

Trigger / Activity Outdoor Recreation / Remote Exposure

Severity Hospitalization / Serious Injury

Bee ID Status Reported Africanized

Aggression Classification Severe defensive attack

Incident Summary

Public-Safety Lesson

Trail running and off-trail recreation can expose people to hidden colonies in remote areas where rescue is slower and evacuation may require helicopter support.

Impact Flags

Human Fatality No

Human Hospitalized Yes (2 severe, several more minor)

Animal Fatality No

Responder Involved No

Source Information

Source: GVNews.com (Arizona Daily Star) / KOLD

Source Strength: B - Established News Source