Swarm of bees stings rancher and son 200 times and kills 2 horses, California man says

Antonio Moreno says he and his 12-year-old son were feeding four horses at their Jurupa Valley ranch when a shocking incident interrupted their daily routine.

“It was just a normal afternoon when suddenly, a bee came and stung us,” Moreno told KNBC. “Then, another came and then another and suddenly, we were covered in bees.”

Moreno and his son led two of the horses to safety during the attack on Friday, Aug. 9, he told KABC, but when he tried to go back for the other two he was overcome by more than 200 bee stings.

“Everything began to close up, my throat closed up, and my heart felt like it was going to explode,” Moreno told the station. “My chest hurt so much, everything hurt.”

Firefighters responded to the bee attack at 7:36 p.m. and took two people to the hospital, with one in serious condition, the Riverside County Fire Department said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A veterinarian treated four horses for bee stings, firefighters said.

“I remember getting dizzy until I passed out and woke up hours later at the hospital,” Moreno told KNBC. Two of his horses died in the attack.

Moreno, who learned from doctors he’s allergic to bee stings, told KABC the bees have lived beneath a shed used to store horse food for two years and had never been a problem.

Jurupa Valley is about a 50-mile drive east from Los Angeles.