Swarm of Bees Attacks and Kills Farmworker

A man died after being stung by an angry swarm of bees while he was working on a farm in the state of Alto Paranaíba, Brazil, on Sunday.

He was rushed to an municipal emergency room by a fellow farmworker after he was found unconscious, but passed away from the effects of the stings on Monday, local news Estado de Minas reported.

A similar incident occurred last month in the Brazilian state of São Paulo when a farmworker was hospitalized after receiving more than a thousand bee stings, and another when six people, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed in Nicaragua in May after their bus disturbed a swarm of killer Africanized bees.

Bees sting by jabbing their barbed stinger into the skin, and injecting their venom into the tissue. This venom contains proteins and enzymes, which target the immune system once inside the body.

Being stung by a single bee usually only results in a painful welt, with itchiness and slight swelling, but if you are allergic, or stung by multiple bees, this may lead to a much more serious or even deadly reaction.

More than 10 bee stings per pound of body weight is usually the limit for a person's survival, with the average adult being able to handle a maximum of around 1,100.

According to Estado de Minas, the man who was swarmed was allergic to bee stings.

Non-life-threatening symptoms of an allergy include hives, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure and swelling away from the sting site, while anaphylaxis from an allergy may result in swelling of the mouth or throat, shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, and shock, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The reasons for bees to swarm are usually related to provocation, such as their hive being disturbed by noise, vibrations or being moved. The angry insects will then swarm and attack anything they deem to be a threat.

The exact species of bee involved in the Brazil attack has not been confirmed, though they may well be Africanized honey bees, which are a crossbreed between the European honey bee and the African which were imported to Brazil in the 1950s. They have killed more than 1,000 people since in Brazil alone.

The USDA advises anyone faced with a swarm of bees to run away as fast as possible, covering your head and face with clothing or your arms to protect your eyes, nose and ears. You should aim to get indoors if possible, and avoid entering water to escape them, as they will wait for you to come back up for air.

They also urge people not to swat at them, as this will aggravate them further, and if a bee is crushed by this defensive act, it will emit a smell that will in turn only attract more of the insects.

Once indoors, the USDA advises removing all stingers from your skin, preventing it from releasing more venom.

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