Texas Man Attacked by 60,000 Bees After Starting His Lawnmower

Lawnmowers and giant beehives. They do not mix, and they are something we hear about in South Texas more than we would probably like to.

Earlier this week an elderly man who lived in South Bexar County fired up his lawnmower to take care of cutting his grass. The 73-year-old man lived in the 17000 blocks of State Highway 16 South in Bexar County. Neighbors told KSAT news that the man started working on his lawn at around 10:30 Monday morning when the trouble started.

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60,000 Bees Create Massive Hive

While it is unclear if the hive was found inside the man's residence or inside the walls of a work shed is still unclear. Neighbors told KSAT that they knew there was trouble when soon after hearing their neighbor's lawnmower fire up, it started to wind down. When they went to check on him, they found him completely covered in bees.

Neighbors Rush to Help Man Covered in Bees

Despite the horrific discovery, the neighbors tried to help. Maria Sanchez said she tried to pour rubbing alcohol on the elderly man to get the bees off him. First responders found they had to turn back after arriving and put on protective suits to be able to perform life-saving rescue efforts. Sanchez said the man was covered in bees from head to toe and said the insects acted like animals as she watched the man fighting for his life.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar Reports the Man Died at the Hospital

A recap from Sheriff Salazar in the video above reports that sadly the elderly man passed away at the hospital as a result of the bee attack. Earlier this year a Breckenridge man suffered a cardiac arrest after he was swarmed by bees after getting too close to a hive with another lawnmower.

It's a good idea to take a quick walk through areas before you start mowing. It does not take bees very long at all to build massive nests in places we would never thing to look.