NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — Beekeepers in North Richland Hills worked to contain multiple bee hives and wasp nests after a man and a woman were attacked by a swarm on Tuesday.
Police and firefighters were called at about 12:09 p.m. to the 8000 block of Cross Drive after a report of the two victims being swarmed by bees, officials said.
According to neighbors, an older man in his 70s was doing yard work when he was swarmed by bees.
The man attacked by bees was identified by his longtime partner as Lonnie Dorsey, who is in his 70s. His girlfriend, Patricia Byrns said she was inside while he was mowing the lawn. Suddenly, she heard him groaning.
When Byrns stepped outside, she found him on the ground and covered in bees. Dorsey is allergic to bees.
"That wasn’t one bee, that was thousands," Byrns said. "I went straight for him, and I started to get bit. I didn’t care. I wanted him up off that ground."
A neighbor who asked not to be identified told WFAA she witnessed the bee attack and called 911.
"I saw some bees, a lot of bees," she said. "I looked down and saw a man on the floor on his side, and his face had blood all over it. I could tell he was coming in and out of consciousness. Then, his wife came out and I was already on dispatch. She was trying to pick her husband up. There were so many, it was like a scene from a horror movie. It was clumped on his face and all over his body as well. It happened so quickly."
The neighbor said dispatchers urged her to tell the older woman to go back into the home. Byrns returned into the home and neighbors stood by until first responders arrived.
"A firefighter quickly came and tried to shovel with his hand part of the bees off of his face," the neighbor said. "It was a terrible thing."
The North Richland Hills Fire Department took both victims to a local hospital with the help of local beekeepers, officials added. The man is in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon. The woman has been released from the hospital.
On Wednesday, Byrns was home, but Dorsey remained in the hospital. Byrns said he has made significant progress since Tuesday, and is expected to make a full recovery. Byrns said Dorsey's face is bruised from the stings and his arms were significantly impacted.
"The nose area they bruised it real bad," Byrns said. "He's become part of my life. If I lost him, I'd feel really bad, but we're together. God kept him safe."
Beekeeper Eric Etheredge and his crew were called to the scene to safely remove the bees, wasps, and their hives.
"We had to cut the tree open in order to get the bees out," Etheredge said. "It's summer, they don’t have much food source and they could be protecting their hives. So, it’s always safe when you see a bee hive to contact a beekeeper to safely remove the hives."
Byrns said she's thankful for neighbors who stepped in to help during the emergency and those who have stopped by to visit since the couple was hospitalized.
As traumatic as the experience was, she said the incident made her appreciate her community who stepped in to help.
"I've been ignoring them for eight years, it makes me feel bad," Byrns said. "I intend to get out and meet my neighbors that were so good to be here yesterday. They didn’t have to be here, they didn’t even know me."
Officials asked residents to avoid the area to avoid any further attacks as they worked to contain the nests and hives.