Man dies after being stung by dozens of bees
A 75-year-old man was killed in a bee attack while bulldozing trees on his Texas property on Tuesday.
Lifelong Bedias resident Bryce Smith was on his bulldozer clearing trees when the attack happened.
The hive was unknowingly in one of the trees when Smith disturbed it.
Officials said the bees stung Smith more than 60 times on his face and neck.
Another person who was with Smith at the time brought him inside and called 911. Smith died by the time first responders arrived on the scene.
Grimes County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge Chris Acord said Bryce will be missed by the entire community.
“The Bedias community lost a very, very good individual yesterday, a very good man. He was a wonderful husband, great dad, great grandfather to his kids. He was very well respected,” Acord said.
Acord said bee hives in Grimes County are common and the community should be aware.
“The severity of what happened, and how this could happen to anybody, we don’t think about these things,” Acord said.
Juliana Rangel, a honeybee scientist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, said the bees that attacked Smith are likely Africanized honeybees, known colloquially as “killer bees.”
“Africanized bees are a little bit more prone to feeling threatened by any external stimuli,” Rangel said.
Rangel advises people to call an expert to remove bee hives from their property.
“You better call a professional beekeeper that knows how to deal with live bee removals, so we always recommend trying that route first,” Rangel said.
If you are being attacked by bees, the Texas Apiary Inspection Service recommends alerting others, covering your head and face without blocking your vision and finding a safe space.
Experts say to remain calm, call 911 and carry an EpiPen if you’re allergic to bee stings.
