Hiker Who Was Killed By 1,000 Bee Stings in Mesa Arizona

[chancy]

Hello Everyone:
BEE careful when outside if in Mesa Arizona. The bees are getting very, very aggressive! I've spent quite abit of time in Mesa and never even thought of watching out for swarms of bees. This is a new problem people need to be careful of.
chancy

Hiker Who Was Killed By 1,000 Bee Stings Was Visiting Area to Meet His Father for the First Time
[Inside Edition]

May 29, 2016


A Louisiana man who was killed Thursday by some 1,000 bee stings was in Arizona to meet his father for the first time.

Alex Bestler, 23, was on a hike with his stepsister in Mesa when the two were swarmed by angry bees. While his sibling was able to run to a bathroom and take cover, Bestler wasn't so lucky.

And it all unfolded while Bestler was in the area to meet his dad for the very first time, family members told KPNX.

Read: Zoo Shoots Gorilla to Protect Boy Who Fell Into Enclosure

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, another hiker and park employees tried to help Bestler, who they discovered on the ground and covered in bees, tried to approach him but to stay back because of the aggressiveness of the insects.

With the assistance of two Rural Metro Fire Fighters, Maricopa County Sheriff's Sgt. Romer was able to load Alex onto a utility vehicle and remove him from the scene, still covered with bees, and the swarm pursued.

Read: Killer Bees Swarm California Town, Killing Two Dogs and Terrorizing Residents

“I commend Sgt. Romer for risking his life trying to save the victim," Maricopa County's Sheriff Joe Arpaio said in a release.

"These attacks are becoming more frequent and I urge the public to be aware of their surroundings when out in these areas.”

Authorities called the attack unprovoked. It was not immediately clear whether the bees were the more aggressive Africanized variety or native honeybees.

[DNA]

This guy was killed the day, nay, the hour he was destined to meet his father for the first time?!?!
Damn!
That is some crazy messed up stuff right here.
And the guy was 23 on top of that.
Wow, do you know what your chances are of getting killed by bees? I mean what is it world wide? Even if 10 people a year are killed by bees then your odds would be one in a billion. That is just crazy.
And on the day you are going to meet your dad? I can't get over that.

Ya all, it was just this guys time to go. He was not supposed to meet his dad. If it wasn't bees it would have been scorpions or a cactus or a bolt of lightning.

[RunningDeer]

Though it doesn't change the suffering and death of Alex, this version and many other sites don't included that he was on his way to meet up with his father for the first time.

A 23-year-old man was killed on a hike in Usery Mountain Park in Mesa, Arizona, after he was attacked by a massive swarm of bees, reported the Arizona Republic Friday. Officials said that a medical exam revealed the Louisiana man was stung by more than 1,000 bees.

The incident played out Thursday morning as the 23-year-old man, Alex Bestler, hiked with his friend Sonya, the Republic reported. The bees apparently appeared without warning. Bestler's friend escaped safely to a bathroom close by, but the 23-year-old was engulfed by the swarm of bees before he could make his way to shelter, officials said.

A hiker and park employees attempted to approach Bestler — who was lying on the ground overtaken by the bees — but the swarm was so aggressive it forced them to stay back, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said.

[article]

[william r sanford72]

this wasn't a normal swarm.If in natural swarming mode the aggression level in African hybrids is even at a low point...compared to European honey bees species etc.
my own children have been in the middle of a hive in swarm mode..surrounded by 10,000 honey bees...without a single sting...tho hive temperament like people and animals is different from hive/queen to hive.
The hive that attacked alex must have been disturbed in some way..
I have worked hybreds and they are a force unto themselves..to behold...it is humbling and can bee deadly.
why they locked in on him is odd I admit..as I had posted in the bee thread long ago that I was coming across non hybreds..with traced European lines...becoming almost insane with aggression for no apparent threat or provocation....this was 10 years ago...and I'm also coming across reports of a evolution occurring in real time with the crossing of European honeybees and the hybreds or the hybreds euro genes are becoming triggerd/adapting as the slowly progress into cooler climates...
still odd...and the human part of this death makes it more tragic...

William and tribe.

[WhiteLove]

Keywords: father, son, meet for the first time, 1000 bee bites, aggressive, killed, death, newspaper, drama

It is very movie like. Just wanted to know, is this story really true? Have any of you done a critical investigation into what really happened? (not meant from a defensive/offensive/cold position, just a neutral instant reaction to it)

[RunningDeer]

Posted by WhiteLove (here)
Keywords: father, son, meet for the first time, 1000 bee bites, aggressive, killed, death, newspaper, drama

It is very movie like. Just wanted to know, is this story really true? Have any of you done a critical investigation into what really happened?

This is the opening line of my post:

“Though it doesn't change the suffering and death of Alex, this version and many other sites don't included that he was on his way to meet up with his father for the first time.”

I decided not to spend any more time on it.

[zen deik]

Ironic....

[MorningSong]

...sounds like he stepped into a Yellow Jacket nest or any other ground dwelling bee...or maybe he kicked a stump or disturbed the bees somehow.

When my eldest son was 10, he stepped into a yellow Jacket nest and with only 9 stings (I counted them afterwards), he almost went into anaphylactic shock. Luckily, there was a doctor nearby who gave him a shot just in time. It was a very very scarey accident.

[East Sun]

We know we are destroying nature and this might not be related at all but, the bees are being destroyed.

we need to step back and take a hard look at what the GREED of this world are doing to us , animals of all kind and do anything we can

to bring about change, and I mean real CHANGE...................

[Lifebringer]

Moving into more remote forest areas that these creatures have migrated to for hundreds of years can be a problem. If mre realestate developers would consider habitat and enviornment would stop that. Leave insect homes alone, Beaver homes alone(beavers know how to avoid drought by capturing first rainfall, creating larger and larger puddles, until they become ponds, streams then rivers. Natural damn building always worked.

Bees are being removed from their habitats of trees, shrubs and decaying logs. We need them to survive, turning them into refugees of their own planet, may have pissed them off. Other animals are evolving also and going after those who have harmed them or are poachers. They too have lost trust in man.