Killer bee attack in Texas leaves one man injured & family dogs dead
A Texas man was hospitalized and his two dogs were left dead after a swarm of killer bees attacked them, stinging the Texan over 50 times and his dogs over 1,000.
James Roy thought his dogs were fighting, but when he stepped into his yard in the city of Midland on Thursday, he could see they were being attacked by a swarm of bees.
“He opened the door and a swarm of bees just came towards him” Roy’s son told KWES.
Luckily for Roy, his neighbors were nearby and managed to spray him with a hose, dispersing the bees.
His two dogs, Sammy and Susie, were not so lucky, however, and died the following day, having suffered over 1,000 stings. The dogs had been rescued by Roy and his family in 2015.
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Killer bees, also known as Africanized bees, carry the same amount of venom as the common honeybee, but their attack is much more ruthless. The entire swarm viciously stings its victims, allowing it to take down large animals.
Vibrations from a lawnmower several houses away is enough to trigger an attack by killer bees.
A colony of European bees was found in Roy’s backyard after the attack, and it’s believed the killer bees were attempting a takeover of the colony.
Roy’s son said his Dad was recovering, but is now afraid of stepping out into his yard.
Bees swarm into Arizona mosque, sting 20+, shut down entire street https://t.co/sa2yaKBzrepic.twitter.com/E1QAMC3hHX
— RT America (@RT_America) April 3, 2016
A park in Arizona had to close several areas last month after “aggressive bee activity” left one man dead after he was stung over 1,000 times.
An increase in bee attacks in the US southwest is being attributed to a rise in the migration of killer bees from Brazil, according to the Chicago Tribune.