Bees Swarm Workers, Sending One to Hospital

A swarm of bees attacked a group of construction workers in Aliso Viejo Friday, sending one man to the hospital and prompting officials to order tests to determine whether the insects were Africanized honeybees.

Paramedics treated seven people who suffered multiple stings, and several others who were stung refused care, said Capt. Kirk Summers of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The bees swarmed about 11:20 a.m. after a construction worker disturbed their hive inside an empty storage container in the 26600 block of Laguna Hills Drive. One of the workers took the brunt of the attack and collapsed after trying to run for cover.

“The man who went to the hospital had 10 stings, and he had some other medical problems that paramedics were worried would be aggravated by the stings,” Summers said.

The worker, who was not identified, was taken to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, where he was treated and released.

Samples of the insects were to be sent to Orange County Vector Control to determine whether they were Africanized bees, said Steve Doan, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. No determination had been made as of late Friday.

Bee swarms are common in Orange County, which has been deemed a colonization area for Africanized bees, said Steve Hill, deputy agricultural commissioner for the county.

In 1999, a beekeeper in Long Beach became the first Californian to be killed by Africanized bees after he bumped a hive while mowing his lawn.

The so-called “killer bees” are more aggressive than other bees and can kill humans and animals. Although such aggressive behavior by the more common European honeybees is unusual, officials said they too can be overly defensive of their hives.--

In Friday’s attack, three of the construction workers caught in the swarm ran to a neighboring computer warehouse for help, only to be pursued by the bees.

Joe Blandino, a warehouse supervisor at QLogic, a computer component manufacturer, saw them coming.

“The first guy was out of breath and yelling and we couldn’t understand him,” Blandino said. “He had hundreds of bees on him and was already being stung. We started patting him down and physically fighting the bees. Then another one of his buddies ran in, and he had bees all over him.

“We shut the doors so that no more bees could get in, and then we saw the third guy banging on the door, so we dragged him in.”

Blandino, who is allergic to beestings, and six other QLogic workers used their shirts to fight off the bees, he said.

One employee tried pouring water on the construction workers, but the tactic quickly backfired.

“The bees got even madder,” Blandino said. “It was like a movie. It was unbelievable. . . . The bees were fighting back.”

Blandino said he and his co-workers moved the three men into another area of the warehouse, hoping to leave at least some of the bees behind. Then one of the men collapsed, he said.

“It looked like he was going into shock,” Blandino said. “We got him some pillows and tried to keep him warm, and that’s when the paramedics arrived.”

Africanized bees are almost identical to their European counterparts, and both die after they lose their stingers. The “killer bee” moniker refers to the Africanized variety’s temperament. Generally they are more easily provoked, attack in large numbers and have been known to pursue people up to half a mile.

Complaints about bees have doubled since officials first declared a year ago that Orange County had been “colonized” by Africanized bees. The term means the bees are considered permanent residents, ending any hope of eradication. They were first spotted in Southern California in 1998.

Within a few years, officials say the Africanized bees are likely to replace ordinary European honeybees throughout the region.