Killer bees death, A man was killed after being stung by killer Africanized bees in Texas on Saturday.
Relatives of victim Larry Goodwin said that his entire body was covered in bee stings, and that there wasn't one inch of skin that hadn't been stung.
The fatal accident happened when Mr Goodwin was helping a neighbor by consolidating a pile of dry brush using a tractor on their property in Moody, Texas.
Local NBC affiliate KCEN reports that he found an old chicken coop in the brush and discovered that Africanized bees were inside.
The coop contained 22 honeycombs with an estimated 40,000 bees.
The wife and daughter of the neighbor tried to help him when the attack started but they were injured in the melee.
Mr Goodwin, 62, was able to run from the tractor towards the neighbor's house for help and began to spray himself with a hose.
The woman and her daughter, neither of whom have been named, were stung a total of 100 times between them when they tried to help.
A bystander called the police, and fire department officials were also stung when they arrived on scene.
They tried to resuscitate Mr Goodwin for 45 minutes on the property but were unable to revive him. He was declared dead on the scene.
The Waco Tribune reports that the woman remains in a local hospital in serious condition.
Africanized bees are fatal if stung repeatedly, as eight to ten stings per pound of body flesh is thought to be enough to kill a person.
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service reports that eight people have died as a result of bee stings from the hybrid bees since 1990.
They are said to be easily provoked by loud noises or movements, are ten times more likely to sting, and chase their victims for up to a quarter mile meaning that it is hard to run away.
A local bee exterminator said that he is typically called to remove about five hives per year and he has already hit that number this year.
Just two months ago, thousands of bees swarmed a home in Wichita Falls, Texas.
'If anybody has any brush or anything on their lands please clear it because they don't want to go through this. Nobody needs to go through this,' Mr Goodwin's daughter Tanya told KCEN through tears.
Read more:
Posts
