Ow! Bees!

http://www.kbtv4.tv/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=11617

Tree Trimmer Stuck in Tree Stung by Bees Over 100 Times
( Air Date: 6/9/2006 )

First responders say a Beaumont tree trimmer was stung by bees over 100 times after he became stuck in a tree Friday afternoon. It happened at a home on the 3800 block of Ironton.

The man whom authorities did not identify, was working in the tree when bees in the tree became agitated and attacked the man. He became entangled in his harness and was uanble to get down. When firefighters arrived, they were unable to rescue him because the tree was too close to power lines.

Authorities were forced to try to hose down the victim with foam and water to try and keep the bees off of him. It was not until Entergy came that authorities were finally able to rescue the man.

Watch Hometown News at 5, 6 and 10 for more on this story.

The horror of being trapped up there under attack with no means of escape goes well beyond the anguish of the initial bee attack.

Gaukelbaum’s post also brings up another good point. . .
In this case, climbing by power lines was a bad idea for much more than just the “electrocution” issue. Emergency personal won’t go near until the power is off and the line is grounded.

Man, what a nightmare.

If you look at the picture if his climbing "gear" you will see the old rope and the antiquated bell. A clear sign of someone that do not go to training regularly or changes his gear to update according to new technologies. Obviously he did not "inspected the tree" prior to climbing looking for hazards (electrical wires and the bees) or had an emergency exit strategy included in his climb. A typical "operator's error" caused accident. Thanks Gaukelbaum
for bringing this report to our attention.

Bees attack the face. Recently it has been scientifically proven that bees have memory for facial features. He was probably cruised by a few “guard bees” before the colony was alerted. If you see little black dots making passes around you it is prudent to take notice before they go back and tell their family with their body communication signals where you are precisely located. The climber was either very close to the hive or he was dealing with an aggressive strain of killer bees.