Bee swarm attack sends two people to YRMC
Insects attacked four people in Yuma's South County - News 11's Arlette Yousif reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A swarm of bees recently attacked four people in Yuma's South County, two had to be hospitalized.
It happened last Saturday morning in the area of South Avenue 3E and E. County 18th Street. Rural Metro paramedics arrived to find one person unresponsive on the floor outside of a home. Bees still surrounded the person.
"The caller was a neighbor who stated the neighbor across the street from them had been stung by bees multiple times and was in need of help," says Rural Metro Fire Department Yuma Operations Account Executive Jessica Mendoza.
The fourth victim couldn't move.
"As they approached the patient’s home, they noticed the patient laying face down in their front yard and bees were still swarming them," explains Mendoza.
That's when the crew sprang into action.
"They swatted the bees away and moved the patient into the rescue unit on a gurney and transported that patient to the hospital," says Mendoza.
Rural metro says two victims had serious allergic reactions to the multiple bee stings. Firefighters had to call on the help of a beekeeper and an exterminator.
"I searched around and found four beehive boxes, professional beekeeper boxes, full of bees and they were angry. There were chickens that were dead and they were attacking me pretty good," says Bee Safe Pest Control Owner Ron Scarbrough.
Luckily Scarbrough and first responders wore appropriate protective gear to avoid getting stung.
"I saw that they were professional beekeeper boxes, I decided I’m not going to exterminate them. We need to get a hold of this beekeeper," explains Scarbrough.
Once first responders made contact with the beekeeper, he said he would remove the four beehive boxes by that evening.
"If the beekeeper didn’t live there, I don’t know why he would be keeping boxes at someone else’s house, ‘cause if they turn Africanized, they get dangerous," says Scarbrough.
It's still unclear if the bees found their way into the house.
Firefighters tell News 11 bee stings can be serious, even leading to death. They advise the public to call in a professional if they need to deal with a large colony of insects.
