An Arizona golf course maintenance worker who was hospitalized in mid-July after being stung more than 2,000 times by bees is expected to recover.
After 10 days on life support, the worker from Pebblebrook Golf Club in Sun City no longer is intubated, and is expected to recover, according to Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, the emergency agency that responded to the scene.
The worker, who has not been identified due to HIPPA regulations, was hospitalized Aug. 19 after he and a colleague disrupted a hive on the golf course.
Emergency officials were unsure how the colony had been disturbed, but hospital officials put the number of stings at more than 2,000, according to Ashley Losch of the Arizona Fire and Medical Authority.
According to emergency officials, there were two workers in the area when the bees emerged. The second worker managed to flee the area and call for help. Upon arrival, emergency officials said they were able to gain control of the situation by applying a foam retardant. They also closed the course until the situation was under control.
When emergency officials approached the victim, his face was covered by bees, Losch said.
Honeybees typically are not very aggressive, but can become so when their habitat is disrupted or threatened, if food stores are threatened or in response to predators, according to a search of many beekeeping websites.
Just days after the Pebblebrook incident, a landscaper in the Phoenix area was swarmed after driving a mower over an underground hive.