SUN CITY WEST, AZ — A man is recovering at a hospital after being stung by nearly 2,000 bees in Sun City West on Saturday, August 21.
According to Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (AFMA), a maintenance worker in his 50s was working at Pebblebrook Golf Course when he encountered a beehive.
It's unclear exactly what led to the attack, but somehow the man disturbed a hive.
When AFMA crews arrived they said the man was covered in bees. One of the crew members stated, "We thought it was grass clippings on his face but as we got closer, we realized those were actually bees".
The fire crews wore bee hoods and turnouts to protect themselves while using a hose line filled with foam to subdue the bees.
The man was rushed to a hospital where he had to be intubated for about a week, according to AFMA officials.
On Monday, August 28, officials announced the man was no longer intubated and is expected to make a full recovery.
ABC15 spoke with Craig Powell and J.R. Derringer who were on the front 9 of Pebblebrook golf course during the incident, when their day went from relaxing to traumatizing.
As they were golfing they noticed a worker on the course.
“He stopped and he started swinging his arms,” said Craig Powell. “We didn’t pay a lot of attention to it at first.”
But then they saw the employee running on the fairway.
AFMA says it has responded to six bee incidents this year and 15 in 2022.
