Bees leave man critical

2008-10-28 08:41

Sonja van Buul

Meyerton - A man is fighting for his life at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto after he, a pet vervet monkey and a dachshund were attacked by a large swarm of bees.

The man, only known as Petrus, 32, was working in the garden at Johan Grobler's smallholding just outside Meyerton when he was attacked by a swarm of Cape honey bees.

"Petrus came running up to the house with the black bees swarming around him before we realised what was going on," said Gladis Mokoena, Grobler's domestic worker.

Bees in his mouth

Mokoena said the gardener had hundreds of bee stings on his face, chest and arm.

"There were even bees in his mouth," a shocked Mokoena said on Monday.

Ray Louw, Grobler's son-in-law, said Anna-Marie de Kok, Grobler's daughter, poured a bucket of water over the gardener in an attempt to save him from the bees.

"Anna-Marie and her brother, André Grobler, tried to drag Petrus to safety on the lawn, but the aggressive bees attacked them as well," he said.

Sarel de Koker of Netcare 911 said the man was covered in bees when he and his colleague, Marius Ackerman, arrived at the smallholding.

Fatal for monkey, dog

"We had to call the Midvaal fire brigade for assistance, because the bees attacked us too and we couldn't get close to the man.

"The firemen created a water curtain and we dragged the patient to safety. By this time he had lost consciousness," De Koker said.

Fire chief Hannes Steyn said the man was taken to Midvaal Fire Station in Meyerton by ambulance. He was then transported to hospital by helicopter.

The vervet monkey, Jacky, and the dachshund, Lady, did not survive the attack.

Dave Broderyk, an expert on bees from Vanderbijlpark, said an attack of this nature usually takes place when honey bees are disturbed.

- Beeld