At about 4:30 p.m. yesterday in Palmar Village, Orange Walk District, a family was attacked and stung in their home by killer bees. Two of the family members have been admitted to ward and are receiving treatment at the Orange Walk Hospital, while the third family member was treated and released.

Ophelia Cocom told reporters that her common-law husband, Rigoberto Leiva, 89, was outside picking an avocado from a tree in their backyard, with the assistance of a friend of his, when suddenly, Africanized bees (killer bees) that were in the tree swarmed and attacked her grandson, who ran into the house.

The bees then stung all of them, and in the midst of the overwhelming attack, she lost consciousness. Cocom later recovered and went to the home of her son, where her relatives came to her aid and removed bees out of her hair. She was then taken to the Orange Walk Hospital, where she was treated and released.

However, Rigoberto Lieva and her grandson were admitted to ward.

Cocom said that at the time of the attack, she was with her daughter and her daughter’s baby in the house, and was sitting in a chair when her grandson ran into the house, with the killer bees stinging him. She said that in her frenzied effort to get away from the bees she lost track of her husband.

Cocom said that Rigoberto Leiva, after being stung, lost consciousness and collapsed in the yard. Rescuers called an ambulance, which took him to the hospital.

Shortly after, some men from the Agriculture Department came and destroyed the killer bees by burning them.

This is not the first time that killer bees have attacked people in the Orange Walk area. On Monday, April 15, four persons were attacked and stung in Little Belize. Two little boys, 4 and 5, were stung during the attack, and the 4-year-old died as a result, having been stung by more than 500 bees. The boys’ father and his friend were also attacked when they tried to rescue the two brothers from the bees. They were admitted to the hospital, where they were treated.