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Incident Record

Teenager Christopher Graves stung about 1,000 times starting lawn mower near vacant building in Robstown

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.

Record ID: TX-NUECES-1994-0823
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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 8/23/1994
Location Grandmother's residence, Robstown, TX, Nueces County, TX
State TX
Record Type Attack / Stinging Incident
Trigger / Activity Mowing / Yard Work
Severity Hospitalized - Serious
Bee ID Status Confirmed Africanized
Aggression Classification Severe defensive attack

Incident Summary

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.

Public-Safety Lesson

Distinct from the existing 2024 Robstown fatality (different victim, decade, and outcome) - shows this specific city has now had two severe/fatal incidents 30 years apart.

Impact Flags

Human Fatality No
Human Hospitalized Yes
Animal Fatality No
Responder Involved Yes - Robstown Fire Dept.

Source Information

Source: Tampa Bay Times archive

Source Strength: B