Please, BeesBuzz Off!
Arizona hiker stung 120 times by bees while waiting for rescue
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Last Friday, an Arizona man in his 50’s was out scrambling on Camelback Mountain when he disturbed a beehive and got attacked by a full-on swarm. While attempting a different form of scrambling to get away, the man managed to get stranded on a precipice 200-300 ft above the mountain’s base, rescuers said.
As rescue crews spent three-plus hours trying to get the man to safety, the bees just wouldn’t let up; They continued to sting him while he waited, culminating in a grand total of 120 bee stings.
Although the skimpy news article on the incident left out exactly how he got stuck on the ledge in the first place, it did say the man was eventually “hoisted to safety.” Let’s hope they had some Benadryl, calamine lotion, and maybe a little morphine on that chopper for the poor guy.
To avoid this Hitchcock situation (imagine bees instead of birds), bone up on Backpacker’s library of battle plans to prevent and treat bee stings.
–Jordan Olmsted
Hiker Rescued After Suffering 120 BeeStings (The Arizona Republic)