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Incident Record

75-year-old man died after disturbing Africanized honey bees while bulldozing trees

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.

Record ID: TX-GRIMES-2024-0723
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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 7/23/2024
Location Bedias, TX, Grimes County, TX
State TX
Record Type Incident Report
Trigger / Activity Tree Work / Landscaping / Brush Clearing
Severity Fatality
Bee ID Status Reported Africanized
Aggression Classification Defensive colony attack

Incident Summary

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.

Public-Safety Lesson

Tree clearing, bulldozing, and brush work can disturb hidden colonies before a worker realizes bees are present; older workers may have less time to escape once a defensive colony responds.

Impact Flags

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

Source Information

Source: KHOU / KBTX report

Source Strength: B