A disabled man has been stung hundreds of times when a swarm of bees suddenly started to attack him while he was out with his dog.
John Fischer – who had lost one of his legs due to an infection around eight years ago – was riding his wheelchair exercise bike with his dog in his hometown of Florence in the US State of Arizona when the attack occurred.
News website AZFamily reports that the 60-year-old initially assumed that he had been approached by a fly which he tried to swat away before the full-scale assault erupted.
John is quoted as saying: “I have never experienced anything like this. I had been stung many times before but nothing where it was more than 10 or 15 stings.”
He added: “Next thing I know, there were bees all over me and all over the dog. I tried to get across the street but I couldn’t see, because they were going towards my eyes and they were all over my face.”
Firefighters sprayed John with water before he was hospitalised.
According to the victim himself, he was stung more than 250 times. John’s dog reportedly suffered over 50 stings. It was taken to an animal clinic. Both John and his dog have been discharged to continue their recovery at home.
Professor James Nieh from the University of California’s School of Biological Sciences in San Diego told broadcaster 6 ABC Philadelphia: “Throughout the State of California, we’ve had a lot of rain. Increased rainfall can lead to a boom in bee populations.”
Arizona borders California in the west.
Experts say that anyone attacked by a bee swarm should calmly walk away in a straight line and hide in an enclosed facility.
Dr Justin O. Schmidt is an entomologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Speaking to Scientific American, he explained why humans must not wave their arms during a bee incident: “Bees don’t form images in the same way that humans do. They use vision primarily to detect motion and quick or jerky movements near a nest are interpreted as a threat.”
Dr Schmidt added: “When you see a bee buzzing near your head, I know it’s very satisfying to flap your arms. It just feels so good to swat at it – don’t do it!”
Dr Schmidt warned that such actions would only “make everything worse” as the insects might feel threatened.
