Copyright 2006 San Antonio Express-News
All Rights Reserved
By BRIAN CHASNOFF
San Antonio Express-News
The four firefighters were keeping their distance from the rotten tree.
Earlier, around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, a weed trimmer summoned a swarm of bees from its hollow trunk to wreak havoc on a hapless man’s face, his neighbor’s arm, two unfortunate dogs and the top of a preacher’s head.
Emergency crews were called to the 4200 block of Sea Brook Drive, and the stung men were treated at the scene Saturday afternoon. A Rottweiler was taken to a veterinarian.
The firefighters then tangled with the swarm and lost.
“Usually we spray ‘em with foam, and the foam’ll kill ‘em,” said Fire Department Lt. Wes Jendrusch, sitting in the shade of a more innocuous tree. “The foam breaks down their exoskeleton.”
This time, the foam didn’t work. The bees, angry and buzzing wildly, had refused to go quietly.
A pest control worker with the city pulled up.
“That old foam ain’t puttin’ a hurt on those bees,” Jendrusch informed him.
Suddenly, a firefighter broke into a wild dance, bouncing on both legs, flapping his arms like a chicken and slapping his head with his cap.
His colleagues laughed, and all four firefighters retreated even further across the street. The pest control worker donned his protective headgear and peered into the crook of the hollow, three-limbed trunk, prompting another wild swarm.
“Oh yeah, they’re mad. They’re fighting for the queen,” a firefighter said.
Such attacks are more common in the spring, when people tend to do more yard work, fire officials said. Bees are disturbed by the smell of newly cut grass and are attracted to loud noises such as from lawnmowers.
If bees attack, try to find shelter as soon as possible. Do not jump in water. Bees will wait for a person to come up for air, according to a Fire Department news release.
If stung, remove the stingers as soon as possible by scraping them from the skin with a blunt instrument like a credit card. Don’t use tweezers; that will squirt more venom into the body.
Standing with the firefighters, the Rev. Adolph Woods watched as the pest control worker sprayed the bees with drione, an insecticide.
Woods displayed his head and said it didn’t hurt.
“It’s just kind of like a little prick,” he said. “It’s like maybe getting hit with the tip of a needle, then it’s over.”