Swarm Of Bees Launch Fatal Attack On 3 Dogs In Arizona

At least three dogs in Arizona were fatally attacked by a swarm of bees Wednesday (May 13), according to fire officials.

Firefighters sprayed the aggressive insects with foam to disperse them after responding to a home in Tucson. “Crews are foaming the aggressive bees before tending to the other dogs. We never enjoy killing precious bees, but in these rare cases it is necessary,” the Fire department said in a statement.

The dogs were rushed to a veterinarian’s clinic and died shortly after reaching there, the fire department said. They appealed to the residents to be vigilant about their pets, especially if there are bees on their property. The department didn’t give the estimated number of bees that attacked the dogs.

The attack came less than two weeks after the deadly Asian hornets making their first appearance in the U.S. The hornets, measuring up to 2 inches, have stingers capable of harming honey bees, and even killing humans. However, it was said that murder hornets fatally preying on humans is relatively rare and that these are far more vulnerable to other viruses, mites, and loss of habitat.

In February, a team of first responders in Southern California was swarmed by nearly 40,000 Africanized bees while attempting to help a person who had been attacked at first across the street. As a result, two firefighters, one police officer, and two civilians had to be taken to the hospital. The bees were dispersed using extinguishers and CO2.

In another incident, a swarm of killer bees attacked a California woman in March 2014, after making their way into her car. The killer Africanized bees covered their 71-year-old victim from “head-to-toe,” subjecting her to at least 1,000 stings, including some in her mouth. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent treatment.