Beware: Bee Attacks are on the Rise

The day was gorgeous, so two women decide to take a stroll to enjoy the beautiful weather of springtime in Phoenix, Arizona this past Thursday. Walking along, chatting away, suddenly, their stroll becomes a nightmare in reality, a scene from a bad horror movie.

Without warning, a swarm of bees attacked these two women, covering them to the point where no skin remained visible. They were stung so severely that by the time authorities arrived to spray foam on them, they had stopped fighting. A passerby tried to help by spraying a fire extinguisher, but had no choice but to back off when he too was stung countless times.

It’s possible that the bees were irritated by kids who had been throwing rocks at a hive near an apartment complex. Or, it might have been that the women were attacked because of the colors they wore, or that they moved just right at the wrong time. It’s impossible to say why they were swarmed and attacked, and it is suspected that the bees may be of the “Africanized” variety instead of the everyday honey bee type.

This is the active time of year for bees with flowers starting to bloom and heavy vegetation from recent rainfall. Authorities expect calls on bee attacks to surge up to 600 per day. And, they won’t respond unless reported bees are aggressive.

The two women remain in critical condition.